This Is The Best
by TheMenace3117
Summary: One year after Sonic' "death", his friends attend a party that commemorates him. Things escalte when a younger trio of friends launch an attack. During the confusion, Sonic returns, but he's unsure if he's truly alive or dead. Manic, however, is erased from not just global databases, but from EVERYONE'S memory, making him a stranger to his friends once more.
1. Chapter 1

**HEY EVERYONE, THIS FIC IS A SEQUEL TO MY PREVIOUS STORY "The Nobodies"**

 **IT TAKES PLACE EXACTLY ONE YEAR AFTER THAT STORY CONCLUDES. I HOPE YOU ENJOY!**

Chapter One:

" _The Arrival_ "

One year ago today, Sonic the hedgehog confronted Dr. Eggman for the final time.

It's 11:30 on New Year's Eve. His friends, along with all of Station Square, sit in the comfort of their homes as they wait for the Ball to drop at Midnight.

No one has a clue The Blue Blur is fighting The Doctor at the city's power grid.

Sonic avoids gunfire from Eggman's gun turrets and destroys other deadly machines, while the doctor sits inside a tank and makes his way to an electrical field that controls the city's power source.

"Couldn't wait til AFTER New Year's to pull this stunt?" Sonic asks

"Your pointless holidays mean nothing to me, especially when I have the chance to eliminate you for good!" Eggman shouts

A Chrome Battle-Bot appears from the side of the tank and lunges at Sonic, so he jumps off the windshield to avoid it.

"I don't think I've met you, yet"

Two more Chrome Robots join the fight and they grab Sonic.

As they push him against a brick wall, Eggman presses a blue button and a massive Crane rises from the back of the tank.

A cannon laser aims directly for Sonic's chest

He looks up at the weapon " _This doesn't look good_ "

The Doctor pulls the trigger and the Cannon fires. The explosion causes a massive recoil, knocking down the entire Power Grid. Even his Tank is flipped away from the blast zone. Instantly, the whole city's power goes down.

A few moments later, Eggman crawls around inside his nearly destroyed Tank. He uses the wall to stand up and he looks for Sonic.

He is nowhere to be found.

"I did it.." Eggman coughs "...well, it was fun while it lasted, Sonic..."

The Doctor climbs out of his Tank and walks in the snow. G.U.N officers surround him and order him to get down. He smirks as the officers put him in handcuffs and take him away.

But the doctor doesn't know he hadn't actually killed his nemesis that night.

Far away in a place unknown to anyone from Mobius, Sonic lies on his back and coughs as he wakes up

 **NEW YEAR'S EVE, PRESENT DAY**

Amy Rose has invited all of her friends to a reunion party that commemorates her 'deceased' boyfriend, and to celebrate the New Year.

Tails, Knuckles, The Chaotix and Rouge all show up around 2 PM and greet the pink hedgehog with hugs and house warming gifts.

"Have you heard anything from Manic?" Amy asks

"He hasn't text back, but he said he might be late because of the traffic in Metropolis" Tails replies "What about Sonia? Did you get in contact with her?"

"Yeah, she seems really cool. I think she said she owns a company down in Silver Valley. I could tell she's like, really rich. But she doesn't come off as a snob or anything, she's really down to earth. It'll be great to finally meet her"

"Yeah, I bet. I'm gonna call Manic and see what's up. Let you know after I talk to him"

The Fox walks through the back door, dials Manic's number on his phone and waits on the porch as the line rings.

The Green Hedgehog packs a suit case full of clothes and rolls of cash, most likely pick-pocketed from unsuspecting victims on the street.

He puts his Jade Medallion necklace on and feels it's energy flow through his body as it enhances his senses.

His cellphone rings so he answers "You're on with Manic"

"Dude, where are you? The party started like 20 minutes ago!" Tails says

"I thought you said it wouldn't start until 11 tonight?"

"That's the New Year's party, right now is the one Amy is having- wait, were you sleeping all day?"

"What? No! ...I may have had too much to drink last night so, I've actually been _hung_ _over_ all day. There's a difference"

Tails says nothing in response, leaving the line in an awkward silence

"Don't you judge me, Prower"

"You're getting no judgement on this end. Just- get down here, man! It's pretty awkward around here without you, y'know..."

Manic leaves his apartment and locks the door as he replies "..nah, I don't, fill me in"

"Okay well, Rouge is here being super slutty with me, Knuckles and Espio.. Charmy is still busting my chops about the SAGE program, and Cream is coming here soon. I need a Wingman! Charmy is doing his absolute best to screw this up for me. I need your help, Manic! Please, I'll owe you big time" Tails pleads

The Green Hedgehog leaves his apartment building "..alright, Prower. You can count on me. But in return, I want control of that SAGE program in the event that I need a favor. Cool?"

"That's morally conflicting, but sure. You got a deal"

"Great. I'll see you in an hour, maybe longer. Don't wait up!"

"Okay- wait a sec, why an hour? It only takes 20 minutes to get here-"

Manic hangs up before Tails can finish and puts his phone away.

 _Knowing Amy, there won't be any booze at this little party. I think I'll spice things up with some Jack Daniels and a round of The Captain._

Manic walks 6 blocks to the local Liquor store and reaches the sliding doors when suddenly, he loses feeling in his entire body. He's temporarily paralyzed on the spot

 _What the hell is this?!_

An Orchid purple energy keeps him in place, while his Jade Medallion tries to give him strength to overpower this energy

A tall and muscular Echidna walks up to Manic and takes the Medallion necklace off of him, leaving the green hedgehog completely defenceless as the purple energy now lifts him off the ground.

A 14 year old female hedgehog walks next to the giant Echidna and looks at Manic

"Did you miss me?" She smirks

Manic glares at her " _Starr_ "

Manic struggles to get free "How'd you get loose? And how'd you find me?"

"That antidote you gave me suppressed my powers for awhile, but they came back to me over time" Starr says

She makes a crunching motion with her hand and the purple energy painfully squeezes Manic's entire body like an anaconda

"..I'm not as powerful as I used to be, but I think I still got some _zing_ left, what do you think?"

Manic groans in pain while glaring at Starr's friend, the giant teenage Echidna

Starr smiles "This is my friend _AJ_. He's got a beef with your friend Knuckles. Some stuff about Angel Island and Enerjak, or something like that. He's like our Team Muscle"

Manic looks up " _Our?_ "

A short, Red hedgehog in a sports jersey and black pants appears behind the Green hedgehog

"Sup, bro"

Manic looks at this kid, clearly much younger than himself

"This is our friend _Duncan_. He's realy good with computers and he actually found your apartment no problem" Starr says

"Yeah? They'll be finding my foot up your ass once I get loose, punk" Manic growls

Duncan laughs "I heard you had a big mouth. Where I come from, big mouthed douchebags get dropped, just ask your buddy Tails"

"Don't tell me you put your hands on my bro-"

"Dropped him with one punch. _My_ bro Lynx was in on it, too. Heh, should'a heard Tails, cryin' for us to stop"

Manic clinches his fist and tries to attack the Red hedgehog but Starr's energy keeps him back

"Aw, you mad bro? Whatcha gonna do without this?"

Duncan holds Manic's Medallion necklace in his face, then he makes the mistake of touching the Gem

He is blasted backwards by the Gem's energy and a bright flash of Neon Green blinds everyone momentarily

Manic bursts out with laughter while Starr and AJ glare at the short Red hedgehog as he gets back to his feet

The blast is enough to get the attention of everyone around them, including a police officer guarding the Liquor store exit

"Maybe we should take this somewhere private" AJ suggests

Starr nods at him, then uses her energy to levitate above the street, and lift Manic up next to her. They fly out of the city while AJ and Duncan uses the backstreets to avoid police, and follow the purple hedgehog on the ground

They reach a forrest woodland near the highway and out of sight of passing drivers. Duncan and AJ block the escape routes and Manic is seated against a tree trunk

"You wanna tell me why you're going full psycho mode with Grimace and Hamburglar? And why'd you take me here? I'm getting sap and pine cones stuck to my pants, I just washed these" Manic complains

"After you and Cassia stuck me with an antidote, I swore I would pay you back for that" Starr says

"What? You're gonna bore me to death?"

AJ reaches over and punches Manic in the face 8 times, causing blood to flow from his nose

Manic coughs "...so we're playing _this_ game, alright. I see. Hey, I think you missed a spot, bud"

The giant Echidna stands in front of Manic and boots him across the face. The force of the kick makes his head bounce off the tree he's resting against.

"...okay, I think I see your point"

Starr kneels down next to Manic "You and your friends are fake. You pretend to be heroes but you treat everyone else like garbage! I begged for your help, and you used my powers for yourself!"

"You make it sound as if I just forced you to do anything I wanted, but you CHOOSE to kill those people. Course I had to stop you"

"Manic, you don't realize how much power I have! You never did... but, I'm glad we picked you up first, there's something I wanna show you-"

That's good an' all, but none of this will matter once I kick all your asses-"

"Check this out: Duncan hacked into the global servers and erased all files on me, him and AJ. That's why no police came running to save you. We're ghosts to the rest of the world!"

"And that means exactly jack shit, at the end of the day. You're just three teenage dropouts who wanna be edgy and cool, but you won't ever be anything except losers"

Starr stands up, looks at Duncan and motions for him to attack.

The Red hedgehog pulls out a black steel Crowbar and walks towards Manic, while he takes deeps breaths and gets ready for the inevitable pain

Starr turns her back as Duncan tees off on Manic's head, loud **_CLANGS_** sound out with every strike. After the 10th hit he backs away from the Green hedgehog and waits on Starr

"...this perfectly illustrates my point - DIPSHITS.. if you had any balls, you'd do that in a fair fight. But you're the fuckin' - _call of duty ghosts_ or whatever you wanna call yourselves. You punk kids will never amount to anything!" Manic says

"We're younger than you and your friends, we're stronger and we're not fake! If we say we're gonna kill someone, we tell it to their face, not behind their back" Starr responds

Manic spots out blood "..then do it, what are we waiting for?"

Starr stands up "..I've got a better idea. There's something I've been _dying_ to try out for awhile-"

"What? A toothbrush?"

AJ punches Manic once more for that comment

"...you know how stong I am, Manic. These powers can reach some pretty far places-"

"You must be proud"

"Oh, I will be if I'm able to pull off this next trick. Me and the boys were wondering if I had the power to erase somebody"

Manic sits up "What, starting with me? Ha! I doubt you could do that"

Duncan pulls out his phone "I already deleted every online file of your existence. Birth certificate, bank account, all those things - Gone!"

"Okay, that doesn't mean shit, though. Even if you somehow did erase all memories of me, someone would remember, you can't just forget a guy like me! I'm one of a kind" Manic smirks

The trio laugh amongst themselves at this

"You really are an egotistical bastard, Manic" Duncan says

"That's why everyone loves me, bro"

"Exactly. You need to be the center of attention at all times, so we're gonna see what happens when NO ONE gives a shit about you" AJ adds

"What're you talking about?"

Starr looks Manic in the eyes "Let's see how much they _really_ care about you"

Her hand glows orchid purple and she quickly snaps her fingers.

The music quickly shuts off at Amy's house party and everyone suddenly stops talking. The party gets eerily silent for a few moments, while everyone looks at each other for validation

Tails looks at his phone, then turns to his friends

"Did anyone else feel that?"

"I'm not sure what that was"

"I think so"

"Earthquake or something?"

"You guys got ghosts!"

"Eh, what was that?"

Knuckles walks up to the stereo system

"I know what I'm _not_ feeling - A beer in my hand!"

The crowd starts cheering as he passes bottles of ice cold beer around and turns the music back on. Tails puts his phone back on the counter and walks to the front door

Manic's name and number are automatically deleted from Tails' contact list.

Meanwhile, Manic reaches his hand out and his Jade Medallion flies back in his palm. He uses his energy to push Starr off of him and jump to his feet

" **What the hell did you just _do?!_** "

The 14 year old laughs while her friends grin eerily

"Why don'tcha let us know if my trick worked"

Manic looks around for a moment before AJ shouts "Run, forrest! Get going before I change my mind and crush you right now!"

He growls and then races down the highway as fast as he can. His Medallion gives him enhanced speed so he runs til his muscles burn.

Within 15 minutes he reaches Station Square and heads towards Amy's house. He stops at a water fountain to wash the blood off of his face, then heads out again.

Manic hears the loud Trap Music and walks on the front lawn

"AMY! TAILS! KNUCKLES!" He shouts "It's your boy Manic!"

The Fox notices him yelling on the front lawn, so he nudges Amy and Knuckles

"Did either one of you invite this guy?"

Amy puts her drink down and walks outside to speak with the green hedgehog

"Uh, Hi there. I don't mean to sound rude, but- did I invite you?" She asks

"Invite me? Amy, you called me this morning! Tails, back me up here" Manic says

"...Ha-have we met?" Tails asks

 _No way_ Manic thinks as he raises his arms in confusion "Guys, it's me! Manic! come on, stop playing- It's ME!"

Knuckles walks up to him "Yeah, I remember you"

"Yes, I knew SOMEONE would!"

"You served me at the Mcdonald's drive thru last week, didn't you"

The Echidna laughs sarcastically while Amy and Tails laugh nervously, the situation is clearly awkward for them.

"Amy - Look at me. I'm Manic, Sonic's brother? We met last summer? We saved Metropolis from HAZARD! Tails, we were just talking on the phone like half an hour ago!"

The Fox checks his phone quickly "...there's no record of any 'Manic' on here"

Manic's eyes widen "..Tails, come on, man-"

"Wait, what'd you say? You're Sonic's _brother?_ " Amy asks

"Yes! I'm his brother that he conviently never mentioned-"

Amy pulls out her War Hammer "My boyfriend died one year ago, you jerk! If he had a brother, he would've told us about it! How dare you come here and mock him like that?!"

Manic backs up and raises his arms defensively "Whoa, chill, CHILL! Amy! I'm not lying! Please believe me!"

The pink hedgehog raises the hammer and is about to swing when a voice interrupts her

"I'm afraid he's right"

Amy, Tails, Knuckles and Manic look to the left and spot him.

" _ **Sonic?!**_ "

The blue blur smiles at his friends, prompting Amy to drop her hammer and run over to wrap her arms around him. The rest of their friends walk past Manic and gather around Sonic

"...What the hell is going on?" Manic asks

Everyone inside the house all see Sonic so they rush outside to welcome their old friend home. Manic is completely ignored as everyone crowds around his brother.

"..but - I'm here, too. Don't you remember me?"

His friends pay no attention to him as he looks on from the side.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

 _"A Brawl At The Supermarket"_

Manic waits quietly in the lobby of the local Train Station. He slipped away from the house party while everyone was clamouring over his brother Sonic, who had just seemingly returned from the dead.

As the green hedgehog waits for his train, he watches the news on a flatscreen TV that's hung up above the ticket booth. News of Sonic's return has already gotten to the entire city.

Meanwhile, Manic checks online for anything about himself, but no results are found.

 _That crazy bitch actually erased me.. not a bad trick. You punks win this round._

He feels a presence walk up behind him, already knowing who it is without having to look back

"You taking off already?" Sonic asks

Manic listens to the news anchors report his brother's return with joy, while the blue hedgehog looks at him

"Manic, it's no big deal, really. Me being back, it's nothing special-"

"See, bro- it is. _To them_. I'm glad you're alive, I truly am.. but I kinda want to be alone, got some personal shit going on"

"What's up?"

"You wouldn't understand, bro"

Sonic looks at Manic "Oh, I think I would. For the past year, I've been through some stuff I didn't think was possible. Everyone believed I was dead this whole time, but yet I'm here"

Manic clears his throat "...It appears that I've been deleted. Erased from existence. Everyone, man - EVERYONE don't remember me, and I literally saved the city with them last summer!... you believe that shit?"

"Well- how is that possible? If they met you, wouldn't they remember you?"

Manic looks out a window "..this kid I used to help said she could erase me from everyone's mind, she's like a telepath or some shit. Her and her two boyfriends..."

"Boyfriends?"

"Ah, they're just punks, really. Said they had a beef with me, Knuckles and Tails. But they're no threat"

Sonic raises an eye brow "Sounds like it"

"..so anyway, this freaky girl snaps her fingers and just like that- I'm gone. Online files, criminal record, credit card information - that's erased. For awhile, I started to think I was gonna turn to dust.. So, right now, I think it's best if I just stay forgotten and focus on stopping these little shits"

Sonic grasps Manic's shoulder "Manny, I want you to know I'm sorry I never invited you over, or introduced you to my friends, or even told anyone we were related. I was mad because of how you lived your life different from mine, and I was wrong for that. But, I want to fix that. You don't have to go. Please, come back. We can figure this out together, brother"

Manic takes a moment to think this through "...alright, man. I'll stick around"

"Great. Sonia's on her way here, she'll be happy to see us"

The green hedgehog hesitates for a moment "...she won't be once she sees me"

"What? Why?"

"Ah, it's ..not important right now. I'll deal with it when she gets here... speaking of which, Where have you been this whole time?"

Sonic picks up his bag and smirks "Now, that- you wouldn't believe. C'mon, lets go wait outside"

* * *

Tails and Cream sit outside on the back patio, while Amy and her guests wait for Sonic to come back.

"...and then I beat this guy Lynx in front of everyone, then the cops took him away. I saved the entire school!" Tails exclaims

"Really?" Cream asks

"Yep. All by myself. Minus some help from uh- Geez, I can't really remember this guy all too well... anyway, the day was saved"

Cream pulls out her cellphone and stands beside The Fox

"I want a picture with the hero, so I can show all my friends" She says

Tails puts her arm around her "You can have anything you want from me"

Charms Bee invites himself into the conversation "Can I get $20 off you?"

Tails sighs "...no, Charmy, you can't because you already took my money"

"Oh.. right. Photo bomb!"

The Bee gets in front of Tails just as Cream takes the selfie photo

"Hey!" Tails yells

"See ya online, hero! Hey, Cream, make sure to tag me in it, too!" Charmy says as he flies off

Tails shakes his head disapprovingly while Cream laughs and waves to Charmy as he leaves.

Meanwhile, Knuckles is at a supermarket a few blocks from the house party. He puts his items up on the counter, while speaking to someone on the phone

"Yeah. I'm picking them up, now.. Eh, about 15 minutes, give or take...Yeah? Cool, put it in the oven, then.. K, I'll see ya back there"

He hangs up, pays for his items and nods to the cashier as he takes the bag.

Then he spots AJ, the teenage Echidna with a vendetta against him

Knuckles puts his bag back on the counter "Do ya mind hanging onto this for a couple minutes? I gotta deal with something outside"

The cashier looks out the door, sees the other massive echidna and nods at Knuckles

As he walks toward the front doors, Knuckles hears the faint sound of shoes squeaking on the floor as someone runs toward him from behind

"Oh shit!"

He ducks just before Duncan swings his Steel Crowbar at his head, missing it's mark. He uses the momentum to throw a back-spinning heel kick, catching Knuckles on the jaw and knocking him backwards.

Knuckles grasps his jaw "Good kick, kid. Lets see you do that again"

"Nah, I prefer this"

Duncan swings the Crowbar wildly, forcing Knuckles to duck and dodge each attack with precise movements or risk taking a strike from the cold Steel. The red hedgehog is faster with his attack and hits Knuckles with each swing. A CLANG sounds out with every strike against Knuckles' arms as he tries to block.

He kicks Duncan in the body to force him back, then groans in pain as he grasps his left arm

"You're gettin' slow, old timer" Duncan smirks

Knuckles steps forward and throws a power punch that whacks Duncan in the chest. The air is driven out of him as he flies backwards and smashes through a stock shelf.

"...Yeah, but I'm willing to bet I still got some power left in the right hand"

Knuckles turns his head towards the front door and AJ puts both hands around his throat. Knuckles uses his arms to try and break his grip, while kicking the teenagers' legs to knock him off balance

AJ slips to the right, giving Knuckles a chance to throw him against a glass freezer door and hold him down

"AJ, stop! What're you doing? You know you can't fuck with this!" Knuckles shouts

"Argh! ..I might not be able to, but _she_ can"

Before Knuckles can see who AJ's talking about, a familiar purple energy takes hold of his body and lifts him off the teenager. Knuckles smashes through the supermarket walls and roof as Starr uses her Telekinesis to throw him around.

She takes Knuckles into a back alley and throws him against a brick wall, his body smashes into the brick and gets stuck

Starr holds him down, while AJ joins them in the back alley

"Doesn't feel so good being trapped, does it?" AJ mockingly asks

"...so, you came all this way just to kill me?" Knuckles says as he spits out blood

AJ steps closer "You've had your time, old timer. I'm probably just one of many that you've screwed over for all these years, so in a way, I'm doing them a favor"

"And you think that'll make you a man, by killing me?"

"I don't see why not"

"Well, you should do it one-on-one, like a man. Otherwise, you're just a chicken-shit coward. Make sense?"

AJ signals Starr to release Knuckles and he gets ready for a fight.

Suddenly, a thin, but strong wire is swung at AJ and Starr. It ties them together and a fishing hook locks the wire in place.

"Hey! What the hell?!"

Knuckles looks over and sees Big the Cat causally eating a sandwich in one hand and holding his Fishing Rod in the other.

"Who the hell is this queer?" AJ asks as he tries to get free

Before Starr can use her energy to get free, Big swings the Fishing Rod forward and the wire throws the teenagers away like a catapult.

Their shouts fade out as they are flung across the city.

"Whoa! That's was awesome!" Knuckles shouts

The giant Cat keeps eating his sandwich and walks over to Knuckles, still stuck in the brick wall. He grabs Knuckles' shoulder and easily pulls him free from the brick.

The Echidna stretches out his sore muscles as he stands up "..man, I'm glad you were here, Big. I'll never call you stupid ever again"

Big stops eating "You call me stupid?"

"Everyone does, but that ain't important. What are you doing out here? Didn't Amy invite you to the party?"

"Nobody never invited me to a party"

"What a bitch!... come on, lets go grab my bag I left inside, then get back there" Knuckles says

Back at the house party, Tails flirts with Cream at the front door, Vector and Espio operate a Barbeque and Amy waits for Sonic to come back

A White limousine pulls up to the sidewalk in front of the house and Sonic, Sonia and Manic emerge from the back door.

Vector nudges Tails "Hey, that's them"

"Who? Oh yeah, Sonic's sister and- that weird, green guy"

Sonic faces his friends "Guys, I should've introduced you to my siblings a long time ago, so here we go"

"Hi everyone! I'm Sonia!" she says as she waves

Manic just looks out over the city, clearly still upset everyone doesn't remember him

"..and this is my brother Manic" Sonic says

"Whoa" Cream says as she looks at the green hedgehog

Tails ignores Manic "Yeah, anyway I-"

"Hold that thought Tails, a really cute- I mean, Sonic's brother is here"

She walks away from the Fox

"B-but I wasn't done my epic story-"

"Don't be rude, these are our guests, Tails"

Manic sees Tails is attracted to Cream, so he gets the idea to make him jealous

Cream extends her hand "Hi, I'm Cream"

Manic kisses her hand "Hello there, ma'am"

Tails and Manic make eye contact for a moment, infuriating the Fox

Tails nods his head "Alright, Manic.. you've got my attention now. I'll see you around.."

Charmy looks at him "Uh, Tails? What're you doing?"

"...Monologuing..."

"Yeah, whatever, weirdo"

The Fox spins his two tails, flies into the air and away from the house party, still staring at Manic as he exits.

"What's his deal?" Manic asks

"Oh, he gets jealous of new guys easily. It's nothing" Cream replies with a smile

"Oh, are you dating him?"

"No! ..no, he's just a friend"

Manic smirks "..good to know.."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

 _Manic v Tails: The Title Changes_

Later that night when the New Year's Eve party begins, Knuckles walks into Amy's house with a box of 'supplies'

"God damn, this stuff's heavy" He says as he puts the box on a table

"Knux, where have you been all day?" Rouge asks

"I noticed this party was lacking Jack Daniels so I went out and bought some, then I sat in a park and drank a bottle... then I passed out. But I'm here now, so let's start doing shots!"

Sonic's sister Sonia spots Knuckles so she makes her way over to him, walking past everyone in the house party.

"Hey Knuckles!"

He turns around "Sonia, hey! How are you? I didn't know you were here"

"I spent all afternoon getting to know Sonic's friends. Hey, do you wanna go for a walk around the block? Lets get caught up with everything"

"Yeah, sure"

She grabs his hand and they head through the front door, leaving Rouge alone with the box of liquor

"What - Knuckles!" She shouts but her voice is drowned out by the loud music being played over the sound system

She crosses her arms angrily and frowns, then Espio the Chameleon walks by

"Hey Espio!"

He turns around to face her

"Wanna do some shots?"

"Yeah, why not"

As she pours some liquor into the shot glasses, Charmy Bee flies around the house looking around vigilantly

"Hey, anybody seen Tails or Manic?"

 **MONGOL INDUSTRIAL PARK - 35 BLOCKS FROM AMY'S HOUSE**

The green hedgehog is thrown against a chain link fence, getting poked by the branches of a nearby tree. The blue lights from heavy machinery high above shine off his face.

His Jade Medallion lights up so Tails rips the necklace away from Manic and kicks it out of reach

"I know what you're trying to do, new guy!" Tails shouts as he pins him against the fence

"No idea what you're talking about, friend!" Manic says sarcastically, the grin on his face gets bigger

"Cream is with me! So, back off!"

"It didn't look that way a couple hours ago! Seems like you're old news and it looks like she wants me, bro! Just face it! There's no shame in losing!"

Tails growls angrily and throws a wild punch, which Manic easily dodges. He ducks down, grabs the fox's leg and knocks him down with a judo-style takedown.

He backs away and lets Tails get to his feet once more.

"Doesn't this bring back any memories, dude? Me and you fightin' it out 1-on-1? I remember! Why don't you?"

Tails shakes his head "I don't remember meeting a jerk like you ever in my life!"

Tails lunges at him, looking to strike with sloppy punches but he misses each time. Manic knows he could easily beat the young Fox but he decides against it.

Tails runs at him and Manic dodges to the right, making the fox run into the steel fence at full speed.

Manic hears the teenage fox groan quietly, trying not to show that he's hurt but his opponent can see through it

"...T, I don't wanna hurt you, well, anymore than I already have, alright? I'm sorry about stealing your girlfriend. Lets get serious for a moment-"

The Fox gets to his feet and aims his hacking device, the SAGE program, at Manic and presses a button.

A massive metal air duct falls from above and lands ontop of Manic, pinning him to the ground.

Tails steps on the air duct "..not so tough, now.. (cough) ..I told you to leave my girl alone and skip town, punk!"

Manic struggles to get free "..No you didn't, you just freakin' attacked me!"

"Oh - well, I'm telling you now! Just leave town and that'll be the end of it"

Before Manic answers, Cream comes running toward them to stop the fight. She tries to open the gate but it's been locked from the inside.

"Tails, leave him alone RIGHT NOW!" She shouts

"Not until he agrees to leave!"

"...ouch!.. No way, Prower! I was gonna take it easy on you but screw that, now!" Manic growls

"Tails, I swear to god, if you don't let him go, I'll never speak to you again!"

The Fox turns around to face Cream, giving Manic a chance to reach over and pick up his Jade Medallion.

"You're screwed, now, T"

Jade Energy blasts the air duct and Tails backwards, then Manic jumps to his feet. The Fox aims his SAGE program at Manic but he kicks the device away and punches Tails in the face.

"Manic, wait!" Cream shouts

He ignores her and kicks the fox as he stands up, then pushes him against the fence and punishes him with body punches that knock the wind out of him.

Tails sees an opening so he ducks under the punches, grabs Manic's waist and pushes off the ground. His two tails propel both into the air and they smash through the metal roof as they fly up into the evening sky.

"Tails!"

Cream can only watch as they speed away from the industrial park, their grunts of pain fading away as they ascend higher.

Back at the party, Amy sits down on her bed next to Sonic. His hands are shaking and he looks them over, while the pink hedgehog lightly grasps his hands

"What's wrong?" she asks

"I don't know exactly what it is, but I know something isn't right. That night when Eggman blasted me with that Cannon, I wasn't killed, just injured. And then I realized he sent me far away from here. I don't know where this place was, I just know it was cold, and it was always dark out - like the sun wasn't visible or something.. it was strange"

"Was anyone else there?"

"..there were maybe 100 men and women, different races, species even. And they were all evil in some way. It seemed like I was one of the only normal ones. It was like a prison, but out in a wasteland. No police, no authority. No one was richer than the others. We just wanted to survive long enough to get out"

Amy looks at him "Well, you made it back, Sonic. That's all that matters"

"Yeah, but - I'm not the same.. I can't run, anymore. I lost the speed, Amy. And I need to know what happened"

The pink hedgehog thinks for a moment "...how DID you get back?"

"I tested out this device that was said to transmit signals, but instead of sending a message, I woke up a few miles from Green Hill. That was yesterday. My speed is gone, I can't run fast anymore. And my hands feel like they're on fire all the time"

"Well, maybe that's what affected you. That, teleporting - thingy"

Sonic looks stands up "That could be it. All I know is, I need to figure this out before something bad happens"

As he walks to the door, Tails and Manic fly past the window, still fighting each other as they blast through the neighbourhood.

Sonic looks back "What was that?"

"I don't know, but Sonic - let's figure this out together"

A few blocks down the road, Sonia and Knuckles walk together and she grasps his hand tightly as they talk

"..then I had to fight through a freak show of some gang of Goths, it was crazy" Knuckles says

"Sounds like it... what did you say this other girls' name was?" Sonia asks

"..it um, escapes my mind at the moment"

Knuckles looks into the sky and sees a Neon Green ball of energy soaring by

"Hey, what the hell is that?"

"Don't change the subject, Knuckles, I wanna know who this other girl is"

"It's nothing, I swear! Besides, didn't you break up with me like a year ago? Why don't you just chill the hell out, _princess_ "

Up in the sky, Manic uses his Medallion's energy to knock Tails to the ground and they both bounce off a dirt hill. They roll down the hill and take a moment to catch their breath.

Tails looks around "A mountain? You choose to have a final battle here? That's been over done, man"

"Oh, and where would you choose? The fuckin' sky? Up in the clouds? Screw off!"

Manic looks for his Medallion but he dropped it at the top of the hill.

"You need to use that Gem to beat me?" Tails asks as he stands up

The green hedgehog jumps to his feet "I don't need anything but my fists to beat you, T"

Manic leans in with a straight right punch and Tails throws a counter punch of his own. They trade blows until the fox backs away grasping his ribs.

Manic rushes in looking for the knockout

Tails faked the injury and throws a lightning fast spinning back kick, catching Manic in the liver

He groans loudly as the devastating body kick immediately causes him to fall down in pain.

Tails jumps in the air, spins into a flip and brings his leg down on Manic's head.

"OWW! I thought we were going by street rules?!" Manic shouts

"I didn't know street fights had rules!" Tails answers

"No, they don't-"

Manic quickly lifts his leg up and kicks Tails in the groin, then pushes him back so he can have some space to get up.

"AUGH! You dirty son of a bitch!"

Manic grins "No rules, remember"

Tails kicks Manic in the face before he gets back to his feet, then he swings around for a spinning back fist, but his arm is caught by the green hedgehog.

He twists the fox's arm behind his back and pulls him toward a brick wall

Manic tries throwing Tails face first into the brick, but the fox puts his foot up to stop the impact, then ducks down and quickly tail-spins.

His tails knock Manic's legs out from under him and he hits the dirt hard.

Tails reaches down to punch but Manic palm-thrusts him in the throat, causing the fox to choke for air momentarily

The green hedgehog gets to his feet, throws a powerful left hook, followed by a right uppercut and ends the combo with a front push-kick that has enough force to knock Tails through the brick wall.

The fox tries to tail-spin once more but Manic steps on them

"..you've used your last tail-spin, T.."

With a final burst of energy and rage, Tails pushes off the ground and kicks Manic across the chin. The kick knocks him out instantly and they both fall to the concrete floor, utterly exhausted from the fight.

"...I win - I WIN! I beat you! (cough) ...ohh, everyone is gonna love this story!... ouch..."

Just as Tails stands up and heads for the exit, a massive fist punches him in the face and he falls back to the floor.

AJ and Duncan enter the abandoned building and begin beating on the fox.

"Ay, this one's already knocked out!" Duncan says

"Then zip tie him and we can get outta here!" AJ responds

The giant Echidna holds Tails up with one hand and punches him in the face with the other.

"She said she only needs green boy, so I'm gonna get rid of this tooth pick!"

Duncan stops him "No, I'll get rid of the fox. I've been waiting for this"

The red hedgehog signals AJ to hold him towards the cliff side of the mountain and he backs up.

Tails tries to fight back but is too weak

"Let me.. go! you bastard!.."

AJ walks to the edge of the mountain and holds the fox up like a target

Tails looks at his attacker

" _ **Duncan**_ "

The Red hedgehog smiles, then runs up and kicks Tails in the chest as hard as he can. The fox is knocked off the edge and falls all the way down into the ice cold river below.

AJ and Duncan look over and watch as Tails sinks further and further into the river.

"That'll be the end of Miles Prower. Now, lets get back to Starr. She'll be happy about this"

The Echidna picks up Manic and holds him over his shoulder as he walks out of the area, while Duncan runs up the dirt hill and picks up the Jade Medallion Manic dropped.

"All this trouble over this stupid thing.."

Down in the icy river, Tails struggles to swim back to the surface. The water is so cold that it burns. He calms down and holds his breath as he tries to swim back up.

 _In_ _times like these, I really wish I had some backup. Even Manic would be helpful._

 _It's also in times like these where my epic monologuing comes in handy._

 _Come on, Tails._

 _You got this._

He pushes through the water as hard as he can and swims faster than he ever has. He can see the night sky glow brighter as he rises back to the surface.

Tails breathes in the fresh air as he resurfaces, then he hears shouting.

But not of anger.

"Damn, what time is it?" He asks

He pulls his phone out of his pocket "Good thing I bought the waterproof model"

He checks the time. Midnight.

He hears the citizens of Green Hill shout _**HAPPY NEW YEAR**_ in the distance and the fireworks light up the sky.

"Son of a bitch made me miss the ball drop! God damnit!"

The fox swims back to the shore and sits on the dry beach. Fresh bruises and dried blood stain his face.

Then he remembers Duncan and AJ attacking him

"I gotta get back to Amy's before they go after them!"

Tails stands up and limps back up the mountain, pain shooting throughout his entire body.


	4. Chapter 4

**SORRY FOR TAKING A BIT LONGER TO UPDATE, I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH SOME CHANGES BUT EVERYTHING IS BACK ON TRACK. ENJOY!**

Chapter Four: 

_"Get Some New Friends"_

Cream the rabbit looks out the front window and sees Tails walking toward Amy's house party, so she puts her drink down and makes her way to the door.

Tails, sporting a black eye, dried blood and sand stuck to his wet clothes, steps onto the front lawn and takes a deep breath.

Knuckles sees his friend so he walks over "Hold that thought, Sonia - Tails! What the hell happened to you? Where've you been?"

Before the fox can answer, Cream pushes past Knuckles and shouts "WHERE IS HE?!"

"I Don't Know!"

"Where is who?"

"Manic! Tails left and called Manic out of town to fight him!" Cream yells

"Honestly, I have no clue where he is!" Tails says

"What did you do to him?!"

"Somebody took him, alright? I didn't have anything to do with that!"

Cream crosses her arms "Oh, so they were just conveniently in the same place as you, right?"

"Look, I knew who one of them were, but I don't know why they wanted to abduct Manic!"

Sonia hears this and looks at Tails "Wait - some guys abducted my little brother, guys you knew, and you LET THEM get away?!"

"Is this true, Tails?"

Sonic walks out of the house and joins the conversation

Tails backs up "No! They kicked me off a cliff and left me in a river! I couldn't do a thing!"

"Either way, you planned this from the start!" Cream shouts

"Guys, wait-"

"You fed him to the wolves" Knuckles says "Not cool, man"

Tails turns to him "Knux - please believe me-"

Sonic sighs "Tails, if you hadn't started a fight, this wouldn't have happened in the first place"

The Fox's eyes widen "Sonic, I swear I didn't mean for this to happen"

Cream looks him in the eyes "Tails - you need to leave. Just go. No one wants to hear what you have to say, whatever you planned has already been done.. so leave"

The Fox wants to say more but, nothing comes out. He looks around at his friends and realizes he's wrong.

Rain starts to pour down when he decides what he's going to do.

"Alright. You win. I'll leave... (exhale) ..goodbye everyone"

Charmy Bee looks at him "Are you crying?"

"No! It's just raining!"

The Fox spins his tails and he quickly flies out of the area, not knowing where to go right now, just away from here.

"Well, that was awkward" Charmy says

"He looked pretty shook up" Espio adds

Vector nods in agreement "Yeah... come on, lets go get drunk"

Rouge finishes her drink and walks up to the trio

"Hey Sonic! Me and Espio will go out and find your brother! Right, E?"

"Uh-"

Charmy nudges him "Do it, bro! This is the first girl that actually wants to go out with you!"

The Chameleon takes a moment to think "...yeah, sure why not. Lets go"

Rouge smiles "Lead the way"

As they walk past Vector, he fist bumps his friend "Good for you, Espio"

"Yeah, it'll be the first piece of ass you've ever gotten-"

"Charmy!"

Vector covers the Bee's mouth and they walk back inside Amy's house.

Knuckles carries a gym bag and walks a few blocks through the neighbourhood. He finds Tails sitting on the concrete steps of a small bridge, listening to music on his phone.

"Don't worry, I'll be outta your hands once the next train comes. Don't need to make sure I'm gone..."

Knuckles unzips the gym bag "Here. Take this"

The Echidna passes an unopened bottle of Whiskey to the Fox

"What's this for? To cope with my problems?" Tails asks

"Nah, it's to help you not give a shit. Don't listen to what those loud mouths back there say. Just do whatever you wanna do"

"Solve all my problems with alcohol - that's a hell of a message you're sending me, Knux"

"I've been in your situation plenty of times in my life. Trust me, this is a much better way of handling it than most of the other ways"

Tails looks up at Knuckles for a moment, then gives a friendly smile.

The Echidna nods and leaves him to be alone.

"You know, this is how problem drinking starts, Knux"

"Only if you can't handle it, little brother. Don't forget this life lesson"

Tails cracks open the bottle and pours a shot into the cap "I sure won't, big brother"

He drinks the shot and the liquor burns his throat as it goes down, but in a good way. He pours another shot and waits for his train to arrive.

Back at the party, Sonic feels weak so he sits down on the living room couch.

Amy rushes toward him "Are you okay?"

Sonic raises his hands and both hedgehogs watch as he slowly starts to fade in and out, like a flickering light bulb.

"Oh my god, Sonic - what is that?!"

"Looks like a side effect from using that teleportation device, and this doesn't feel one bit good" Sonic says

"But, why is it just now doing this?"

"I don't know.. wherever Manic is, I hope he's got his Jade Medallion ready. I've got a feeling he'll need it.."

* * *

The floor Manic lies on is cold, and the air conditioning is set to the highest temperature. He wakes up in a freezing cold glass cage, with unbreakable restraints on both wrists.

He follows the tether wire attached to the restraints and they are connected to two giant machines on both sides of the cage. He looks around and sees he is standing in between both machines.

AJ and Duncan enter the room and look through the glass cage at Manic

"Hello, asshole" AJ greets

"Oh look, _Super Mario Sunshine_ and dickless the clown are here, how great is this" Manic responds

Duncan quietly chuckles and AJ looks at him in an unapproving manner

"What, that was a good one. I'm not allowed to laugh?"

The giant Echidna ignores this and turns back to Manic "Are you a professional asshole or what"

"I'm more of a freelance guy. Now, mind telling me what this little device is?" Manic looks around at the machines "Whoa! Is that a computer from the 1980's? That's old school, bro"

Duncan steps towards the glass "Look, your buddy left you for dead so we scooped you up and-"

"I gotta stop you right there; Tails isn't my buddy... not anymore, at least"

"The point is, you're not going anywhere this time so-"

Manic yawns loudly and forces the red hedgehog to stop talking

"Boys, can we skip the whole bad guy speech and get to the part where I wreck you two and escape? I'm kinda tired, and craving a sub sandwich" Manic says "Now, where the hell is my Medallion?"

Incoming footsteps get everyone's' attention so they all look towards the front door

"It took us awhile to create a balance.."

Manic looks in shock as Starr holds his Jade Medallion in her hands

"...but we finally have the final piece"

The purple hedgehog sits in a metal chair and inserts an IV into her arm. The IV is attached to the machines that Manic is trapped in between.

"I started to feel like shit shortly after I used that memory eraser trick on your friends. It seems like I'm not as powerful as I thought I was-"

"You mean you're not as powerful as me" Manic says

"In any case, I lost my abilities. So Duncan helped me figure out a way to get them back: Steal them from you" Starr grins

"Oh, and this is how you're gonna do it. With this big old piece of shit machine you've got me locked inside. Clever"

"Duncan found out which parts we'd need and I sent AJ out to retrieve them. After he built the machine, we just needed you"

"And how'd you find me this time?" Manic asks

AJ walks up to the glass "Easy: we could see you and your dipshit fox friend flying all around the city, your Jade Medallion was glowing so we followed the light to the city limits and found you laid out in some warehouse"

"Looked like he knocked your ass out" Duncan adds

"Surprise attack, mind you. Tails couldn't beat me in a real, fair fight" Manic clarifies

"Anyway, he did our job for us, and we brought you back here"

"And the Fox - what'd you do with him?"

"Thought you said he wasn't your buddy?"

"Humour me, _Sunshine_ "

"I booted him off that cliff side and we watched him drown in the river! That's what we did with him!" Duncan shouts

Manic says nothing for a few moments, then shakes those thoughts out of his head

"Alright. What now?"

Starr presses a few buttons on the display and places the Jade Medallion on a platform

"Now, I take your powers"

Duncan walks to a desktop computer and types in a launch code, then presses ENTER

Instantly, Manic is electrified by the tether wires on his wrists and he feels all the energy being ripped through his body. He yells in pain as this machine steals the Medallion's energy from him.

Starr groans slightly as all this energy is transferred into her body through the IV line.

Manic's eyes flash Neon Green and he starts to fight off the transfer, growing angrier by the second.

Starr starts to scream out in pain as the machine is overcharged, so Duncan stops the process and AJ rips the IV line out of her arm.

"Agh! You son of a bitch!" Starr shouts

Manic starts to calm down "It ain't gonna be THAT easy to steal from me!"

"Don't worry, we'll find another way" Duncan says

"Is there a scrambler programmed in your machine?" Starr asks

"Damn right, there is"

Duncan types in another code and presses ENTER. The tether wires send painful pulses into Manic's body, causing his muscles to tense up, similar to a police taser.

"Leave him like this. He won't be talkin' shit with 50 000 volts running through his body"

The trio leave the room and Manic fights the electric pulse as best as he can.

At the same time, Sonic's condition gets worse as he lays on Amy's couch in pain. Clearly Manic's Medallion is affecting his brother in a bad way.

* * *

A little over an hour after opening the Whiskey, Tails is now drunk and sitting on top of a moving train. He holds onto a metal ladder mounted on the side of the train car, and he watches the landscape change as he goes through town after town.

By now he's at least **_300 miles_** away from Green Hill, and his friends.

The rain doesn't bother him at this point, it's the only thing keeping him awake on top of the train car.

He switches songs on his phone and "Don't Stop Believing" by _Journey_ starts to play.

"Oh shit, this is my jam right here!" Tails shouts

He starts to sing along with the song but can't remember any of the lyrics except for _He took the midnight train going anywhere._

Tails takes another shot of the whiskey and drunkenly shouts "WOOO! Hell yeah! My liver is gonna take a big hit tonight but screw it! No body gives a shit about me, anyway! Alcohol poisoning, for the win!"

The train passes a big sign by the train tracks and Tails turns around to read it

 _ **Welcome to Argo Valley**_

"Wait a minute - Argo Valley? Where the hell is that?"

The train starts to slow down and Tails sees the train conductor walk up a metal ladder a few train cars away.

"Hey! There's some kid on one of the cars! Get up here!" The conductor shouts to someone else on board

"Shit, I gotta bail!"

Tails takes a deep breath and jumps off the side of the moving train. His tails keep him in the air for a moment, then he falls down and hits the ground at full speed. He rolls down a ditch and into a sewer drain. The rain turns the dirt into mud and the fox stains his clothes even more.

"Oww... damn, that hurt.."

After 20 minutes of lying in pain, Tails finally stands up, climbs up the ditch and collects everything he dropped.

He walks through a small forrest woodland and finally reaches civilization once again.

The bright lights of this small town glow as local bars and night clubs host New Year's eve parties. Tails looks at himself in a big window of a bar, viewing his reflection.

His black eye, dried blood and mud-covered clothes earns him worried looks from everyone inside this bar.

He sees a few adults point toward him so he turns around to leave, then he hears someone call his name

"MILES! Hey!"

The Fox stops in his tracks and looks back. A male hedgehog with short, bright green hair comes outside

"Holy shit, it _is_ you! Man, I thought I'd never see you again!"

Tails doesn't recognize this guy "Have we met?"

"Dude, don't you remember me?"

Tails shakes his head No

"It's me, Jamie! Come on, man, you don't remember?"

"Right now, I'm having a hard time remembering how I even got here.."

Jamie sees the empty bottle of Whiskey in Tails' hand

"Oh man, they really did a number on you, brother. You want a refill?"

Tails looks at him "Yes, please, anything to get rid of this wicked headache"

"Lets get you some clean clothes, and clean up that dried blood"

Tails doesn't object to Jamie, he's just glad someone is helping instead of fighting with him. They walk through the small bar, walk up a staircase and enter an even smaller apartment.

The green hedgehog gives Tails a pair of new clothes and the fox jumps in the shower. Once he gets out and dries off, Jamie gives him a glass of Whiskey and they walk out of the tiny apartment.

"Man, this is so cool! Dude, when the Fed's picked you up, we all assumed they were sending you off to Death Row with Robotnik"

Tails stops and thinks to himself

 _I don't remember being arrested by Federal Agents ever in my life_

"You really don't remember me? Or the gang? What about Nina? She said she wrote to you all the time, Miles!" Jamie says

Tails can't think of anything to say so he just shakes his head to every question

"We gotta go meet up with them, man. They'd love to see you after all these years"

"I don't think that's a good idea" Tails finally says

"What? Why not?"

"I uh... I'm leaving town soon and I don't think I'm coming back"

Jamie looks at him "So, you came back here just to get some new clothes and tell everyone to go to hell? What about our pact? Huh? Is that bullshit, too? Where are you running off to, now?"

Tails starts to realizes who Jamie thinks he is

"...Miles, you have friends here, friends who give a shit about you! They never abandoned you, and won't ever. Why are you abandoning us?"

"I'm not" Tails blurts out

"...So you're going to stay?"

 _This isn't a good idea at all but..._

 ** _Fuck it_**

"Yeah, I am. Take me to my friends"

"Hell yeah, man! Alright! Lets go"

"Only got one question: Is there more liquor there?"

Jamie grins "You bet your ass there is. No one will fuck with us at our hangout, man. I promise"

"Great"

The green hedgehog leads the Fox back to their gang house in the suburbs.

If Tails is going to masquerade around as this bad guy, he needs to act the part.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

" _The Snowball Effect_ "

Around 2:30 AM, Rouge and Espio walk to an old Metal Recycling plant on the Industrial side of Green Hill. The Bat uses the GPS on her phone to find the front entrance, then she hears another conversation getting louder as they come closer to the gate.

Knuckles and Sonia stand under the only street light on this entire block, seemingly waiting for Rouge and Espio.

"What's up, guys" Knuckles greets

"Hey man" Espio replies "We're just stopping by the last known location of those three punk kids who took Manic"

"Ah, yeah? How'd you find that out?"

Rouge puts her phone in the Echidna's face "With a little thing called CCTV, you should check it out"

Sonia scoffs at the Bat, so she turns her attention to her "Hey, we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Rouge-"

"I know who you are, you're the one who stole from one of my treasuries and set Knuckles up for that!" Sonia growls

"Hey, I remember that" He says with a grin

"Yeah, good times" Rouge adds

Sonia crosses her arms "What are you doing out here?"

"Trying to find your brother"

"Oh, you don't give a shit about Manic, you lying bitch!"

"Okay, well I DO give a shit about stopping these amateurs in their tracks, Those kids are bad for business"

"And what exactly is your business?" Sonia asks

"Stealing from stuck-up, prissy rich kids like yourself, mostly"

Sonia glares at Rouge, still smiling after her comment.

The group turns their attention to the south wing of the recycling plant when a mysterious low growling noise sounds out. Rouge takes the lead and runs up to a chain link fence with reinforced steel wire.

On the other side of the fence, E-123 Omega's head lies in a bed of scrap metal, missing the rest of his body.

"Omega! What happened? Who did this to you?" Rouge asks frantically

The Robot glitches out constantly, but his metallic red eyes stay focused on Rouge

-YOU NEED TO FIND SHADOW. ONLY HE CAN DEFEAT MILES-

"Shadow? What – you watched him die!"

-THAT WAS NOT THE TRUE SHADOW. YOU NEED TO FIND HIM. NO ONE ELSE CAN STOP MILES-

"Wait – do you mean Tails?" Knuckles asks

-NOT YOUR FRIEND …HIS CLONE. THE ANTI-MILES "TAILS" PROWER-

The group look at each other, not knowing what to think of this claim. Rouge looks around for a way inside the scrap yard but every entrance is blocked off.

Just then, a loud whirling noise sounds out and the bed of scrap metal is swept into a large drainage pipe inside the scrap yard. Omega's head rolls down the pipe and disappears inside the Factory.

Without hesitation, Rouge takes off for the front gate and picks the lock, while the rest of the group follows behind her.

"What are you doing?" Knuckles asks "Don't go up there!"

"I'm not leaving without him!" Rouge shouts

The lock clicks open and The Bat kicks both metal doors open as she enters the Factory. She climbs the side of a metal crusher and flies up even higher. Knuckles, Sonia and Espio look around the Factory, half the lights are still shut down because it's after hours. Only red emergency and flood lights remain on.

Espio senses movement coming from above

"Hang on, there's someone else here"

Before anyone can react, Duncan the red hedgehog flips the power switch on inside the Factory and the machines come to life once again. Rouge is distracted by the bright lights popping on and she doesn't see the metal robotic arm swing toward her. The arm makes a CLANG sound as it bounces off her forehead. She falls onto a conveyer belt, now unconscious.

"Ah, shit! Damnit, girl, I told you to stay down here!" Knuckles shouts

Sonia and Knuckles run towards a ladder, then AJ the Giant Echidna appears from out of the shadows, while Duncan pulls out his signature Steel Crowbar.

"Knuckles, stay with the girls" Espio says "I got this"

The echidna growls and heads towards Rouge, while AJ stays back and watches the show.

"Take your time, bro" Duncan says as he swings his weapon "This'll be fun"

Espio runs towards a metal box, jumps off the side and climbs onto the balcony Duncan is standing on. He slips under the guardrail just as the red hedgehog swings his Crowbar at his face. Espio dodges more attacks and looks for an opening so he can counter.

He puts both arms up and Duncan hits the Crowbar off Espio's protective gauntlets, giving the Chameleon a chance to attack.

Espio pulls the young hedgehog in close, punches him several times in the face and sweep kicks his legs out from under him.

Knuckles looks over "Espio, look out!"

AJ throws a machine motor off the side of a high rising Machine, so Espio tries to dive for cover. The motor bounces off his left arm, it would've crushed him if he didn't move a second sooner.

"Hey, douchebag! Let's see if you can finish the job!" Knuckles calls out

AJ turns his attention to his nemesis "This time, you ain't leaving here alive!"

Knuckles climbs up to the platform the younger Echidna is on and they run at each other, swinging as hard as they can. Knuckles is more experienced so he lets the kid come in with everything he's got, hoping to tire him out fast. Once he slows down, AJ doesn't expect three painful punches to the body. He puts his hands up to cover his face as Knuckles goes to work on him.

Being the larger Echidna, AJ walks through the punches, grabs a hold of his opponent, and quickly throws him toward the edge of the platform.

Knuckles falls off the edge, looks down at a 45 foot high drop and grabs a metal support pole. His momentum swings him back up and he lands on the platform once again.

"Getting tired, yet?" Knuckles asks

"That was barely even a warm-up!" AJ shouts

Up on the highest level inside the Factory, Sonia sees the conveyer belt Rouge is laid out on, and it's headed towards 1000 pound metal crushers and red-hot soldering irons. The pink hedgehog climbs up to the nearest platform and jumps onto the moving conveyer belt. She ducks as robotic arms swing by and she jumps over safety rails on her way towards Rouge.

Duncan finally stands up "Keep them busy! Only a matter of time before someone gets killed in here!"

* * *

At the very same time, Tails walks with his new friend Jamie, a street-smart, but not so bright teenage hedgehog. They reach a gang clubhouse in a suburban neighbourhood populated by mostly ex-cons and petty thieves. Jamie knocks on the front door and one of his friends greets him.

"You guys will never guess who I ran into tonight" Jamie says

Before he can say who, Tails walks in and everyone drops everything they're doing.

"MILES?!"

A massive, brown Hedgehog in a Midnight Black suit stands up and pulls Tails in for a hug. This guy is so large, he lifts the fox off the ground with his hug, and unknowingly squeezes him tightly.

"Okay – buddy, I can't (cough) breathe!" Tails says

"King! Chill out, bro" Jamie says

The big Hedgehog, King, releases him "Shit, my bad, Boss. It's just been awhile – Man, I knew you weren't gonna sit and rot inside that prison, Miles! I just knew it!"

A much smaller, dark brown hedgehog wearing a Rosta-style hat puts down a bong, coughs out clouds of smoke and looks at Tails "Yo – boss, what's happening"

"Lucky, you gotta lay off that shit, man" Jamie says

Tails looks around the clubhouse, it's mostly Blacklight art and Neon Alien pictures on these walls. Glow-in-the-dark Stars from the 90's are also glued on the ceiling to add to the retro look of this clubhouse.

"Miles, how've you been man?" King asks

"How do you think he was? He's been in prison for 5 years!" Lucky says

"I've been uh… doing great, up 'til recently.. then I bumped into Jamie and my nights' been going a lot better than I thought it would've…" Tails says

"Oh yeah?" a female voice calls out

All 4 guys look over to the Bar area and a Blonde/Red haired hedgehog girl walks right towards Tails. She looks him in the eyes and slaps him across the face

"How come you never replied to any of my letters? I wrote to you for YEARS and didn't get a single reply, you bastard!" She yells

Jamie jumps in between them "Whoa, whoa – chill, Nina! Life hasn't exactly been the greatest for the boss!"

"Can you at least tell me why you never wrote back, or called?!" Nina asks

"Uh…"

The female hedgehog looks at him "You sound different"

"They put Miles through hell in there, give him a break! We all know what those guards like to do to the new guys! So just leave it alone, Nina!" Jamie says

The room gets quiet, until Lucky takes another toke of his bong and blows out smoke

"…alright, Miles.. how about we fix ourselves some drinks and you can tell us all about your stay on Prison Island" Nina says

Tails shakes off the nervous feeling and looks at the blonde hedgehog "Yeah, sure. I'd be happy to"

"It's been a long time, how do you like your Whiskey?" She asks

All of Tails' new friends walk into the Bar Room and sit on stools while Nina mixes their drinks behind the bar, fully stocked with a seemingly endless amount of liquor. She slides each glass across the shiny counter and everyone waits for Tails to drink his Whiskey first.

His throat feels that same burning sensation but this time it's stronger because of the mix. Everyone laughs for a moment while Tails gets used to the taste.

"Since you haven't been to this clubhouse yet, every newcomer has to drink the speciality mix. House rules, man" Lucky clarifies

Tails looks at him "Oh.. delightful… and may I ask what's in this mix?"

"Spiced Whiskey and Apple Cider. It'll put hair on your chest, that's for sure" King answers

Nina sips on her drink and leans over the counter "So, Miles; where do you wanna start?"

Tails tries to come up with a lie but he can't think of anything to say, so he answers the question by re-directing the topic onto something else

"I think the best place to start with is - Why all the questions? Can't I sit back and drink my Whiskey in peace?" He asks

Nina shoots a worried look towards Jamie, then turns back to Tails "Alright, that's cool, too. But I'd like to point out – The Miles I knew, my FRIEND, had some pretty distinctive features on him. For instance, his eyes were Red but yours are Blue. He was taller, and you're shorter than me. Correct me if I'm wrong but, you look more like a cosplayer than you look like my friend-"

"It's him, Nina, for fucks sake!" Jamie calls out "Sure, they worked on him over there and now he don't look the same, but our friend is back! Can't you be happy for once? Instead of being a super bitch all the time? Jesus!..."

Silence falls over the room once more, so King walks over to a jukebox and searches for music to play.

"This is awkward as shit so I'm gonna go ahead and put on some Metallica, if you don't mind"

"Bleeding Me" by _Metallica_ plays over the loud jukebox speakers

Less than 10 minutes later, the 5 friends feel the strong liquor hit them so they start talking amongst themselves. Jamie sits with Nina and King sits with Tails, while Lucky has disappeared.

"There's something not right with Miles, I'm telling you" Nina says quietly

"Yeah, I can sense it too….but come on. It's him. No one else would be this brave to come down here and impersonate Miles" Jamie answers as he takes a drink from his glass of Rum

Meanwhile, Tails talks quietly with King, the giant Hedgehog

"Hey, where'd Lucky go?"

King finishes a big pitcher of beer and puts his down "Not sure. But Nina is all over your ass"

"Yeah, I can tell…What's her deal, anyway?"

"Not that you'd remember but, you guys used to bang. Like Hardcore. None of that romance crap, either... Anyway, all that shit changed when you got arrested. The Feds picked you up – and she just became hard to handle. Things got worse when you never answered her letters. Kind of a dick move, by the way.. So, now Nina is like this"

Tails looks over King's shoulder and sees the blonde hedgehog drinking her Whiskey back and pouring more into her glass.

 _This Miles guy is a real asshole…_

"Damn… I didn't know that, man" Tails says

"There's a lot of things 'round here you forgot about, or just don't seem to care about…" King replies

He grabs a small hose from behind the bar and presses the nozzle, pure rust coloured Beer flows out and fills up the giant pitcher he's using as a mug.

Before Tails can say anymore, Lucky walks up behind him and points a heavy gun at the back of his head

"Loaded .357 Magnum. Yeah, the safety is off. Whatcha gonna do, _boss?_ Huh?" Lucky asks

* * *

Back in the Metal recycling plant, Knuckles walks towards AJ and steps in for a low body punch, followed by a right hook to the chin. Anybody else he hit with this combo would be knocked out, but AJ is an enhanced echidna so he takes the painful punches and keeps going. Knuckles ducks down as the younger Echidna throws punches at him, then he sweep kicks AJ's legs out, dropping him on his back.

Before Knuckles can finish the fight, someone jumps out from behind a machine and kicks him in the chest.

"How'd you like that, asshole!"

Starr, AJ and Duncan's friend, taunts Knuckles as she kicks him while he's down.

Sonia pulls Rouge off the Conveyer belt, rests her against a wall and climbs back down to the platform Starr is on

"Get your hands off my man, you little skank! You wanna fight? Fight me!" Sonia shouts

"Alright, you old hag! Let's do this!" Starr shouts back

While the girls fight, Espio stands up and Duncan kicks him in the face, knocking the Chameleon backwards on the balcony. He tries to fight back but the red hedgehog is too fast, so Espio finally grabs him by the shirt and they flip over the railing and onto the concrete floor below.

A window on the top floor opens up and quickly closes shut. Espio looks up and sees the shadow of what looks like Tails staring down at everyone fighting.

Knuckles sees him too and calls out "Hey, Tails! Bout time you came back! Help us mop the floor with these shit heads!"

The shadow doesn't say anything, only makes his way down the metal staircase and towards the fight.

"Something's not right" Espio points out

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles asks

The Chameleon gets a good look at the shadow "….That's not Tails!"

The fox jumps out of the shadows and launches an attack on Sonia first. He kicks her legs out and slams her head against the concrete floor, knocking her out instantly.

"The fuck are you doing?!"

Espio jumps up and runs towards the fox, but all of his attacks miss and he gets battered by a string of painfully accurate punches and kicks. Espio drops to both knees and the fox pulls his head in and knees him directly in the face.

"You son of a bitch!"

The fox steps over Espio's bloodied body and walks towards Knuckles. The Echidna punches the fox, ducks down and throws more power punches, but they do almost no damage to him. Finally, the fox catches his hand, twists it backwards and breaks Knuckles' wrist with one movement.

He howls out in pain for a moment, then the fox knocks him out with a devastating elbow to the jaw.

The fox looks at all three friends he's knocked out and smirks, then AJ, Duncan and Starr approach him.

"We have E-123's head, Miles" Starr says "What do you want to do with _them?_ "

"Burn this building to the ground, leave no exits for them. They'll be my message to Prower"

* * *

Tails doesn't move as Lucky holds the gun to the back of his head. King, Jamie and Nina all wait and see what he'll do, but the fox does nothing.

Lucky puts the gun down "Man, you _have_ lost it. Back in the day, you'd have ripped the gun apart in a second… Nina is right about you…"

Tails clinches his fists "Alright, I'm sick of this shit! You guys are so quick to call me a bitch, but what are any of you?"

"Criminals, just like you, Miles" Nina responds

"Whatever you think I am – that's gone"

"So, what are you saying? You're out?"

The guys wait for Tails' response

"I'm saying we don't need to be criminals. Being legitimate wouldn't hurt, would it?"

King stands up "I get it, you want a front! We operate a small business to keep the cops off our ass, while making twice the cash – and it's all on the books! That's a great idea, boss!"

Nina and Jamie look at Tails for moment, as if he actually came up with this idea himself

"Right, me and Lucky can get this set up real quick! Trust me, Miles – by tomorrow, We'll been running a good operation!"

Tails can't think of anything to say so he just nods quietly at the giant and sits back down at the bar.

Nina gives him a suspicious look, then she sits back down and starts drinking again.

* * *

AJ and Duncan open up a metal door to their hideout and they both get punched in the body.

While they were out, Manic got loose and waited 'til they opened the door to escape.

"He has the Jade Medallion!" Starr shouts "He's getting away!"

Miles stops her from chasing him "Let him run. He'll serve as the messenger"

The fox walks back inside the hideout and sits at a desktop computer

"Fuckin' amateurs, can't even do ONE thing right…. Get me those passcodes, now!" He orders

Starr, Duncan and AJ all look at each other for a moment, then do as Miles says.

Meanwhile, Manic races out of the area and looks for a back road to use as cover. He reaches a small street and rests against a graffiti ridden wall.

"What the hell was that? Tails? Son of a bitch is working with them?!... man…."

Manic starts to hear familiar voices coming from a factory nearby, then he realizes it's Sonia and Knuckles' voices

"Oh shit! I'm coming!"

The Green hedgehog races towards the metal recycling plant, now covered in flames. He takes a deep breath and breaks into the building. He sees his sister lying next to Knuckles, both unconscious. As he picks them up, he spots Espio and Rouge a few feet away.

"I'll be back for you, I promise"

Manic takes Sonia and Knuckles outside and places them a safe distance away from the fire, then races back inside for Espio and Rouge.

He takes them outside and escapes the building just as the foundation gives way and implodes.

"Holy shit!... Tails, what kinda shit are you into, now?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

 _"The Underboss Returns"_

Tails wakes up laying in a small bed down in the Clubhouse basement, converted into half apartment, half storage bunker.

The strong liquor he consumed last night went through him like nothing and as a result, he blacked out from being so intoxicated.

 _Where the hell am I?_

 _..._

 _Oh. Right. The Clubhouse._

Having second thoughts about sticking around this group of small time criminals, Tails decides to sneak upstairs and run out the back door before anyone notices.

 _These guys are somethin' else. I'm outta here._

The Fox walks through the unfinished apartment, glancing at the concrete walls and wooden beams that hold the building's foundation together. He tip-toes toward the stairs so he doesn't make a sound, while using his two tails to help float above the ground.

He pushes the door open as lightly as he can and looks around. Not a criminal in sight.

Except for Nina, standing behind the Bar with a glass of water.

"I appreciate you trying to apologize, Miles..."

Tails exhales and turns around to face her

"I did what, now?" He asks

The blonde hedgehog laughs before answering "...I remember when you could actually handle your liquor... I think it's cute that you can't remember anything from last night. Reminds me of when you weren't such an asshole"

"Right... Look, whatever I said, I-"

"Lets just leave it at that. It'll be a long time before I can forgive you.."

Tails nods his head and looks around the Bar Room. He's obviously not sneaking away, now, so he's going to find another way to leave.

"Where's Jamie? Or King and Lucky?"

Nina takes a drink of her water "They're finalizing the deal for that Business Front you wanted"

Tails' eyes go wide

"They're actually doing it?!"

"You sound like you're having second thoughts"

"Well - I just didn't think they'd do it this quickly.." Tails lies

"..or you just didn't think King was serious about getting this done for you"

The Fox looks at the blonde hedgehog

"What do you mean by that?" He asks

"You know exactly what I mean. Look, I know you've gone out of your way to help us in the past, but those guys think of you as a big brother, and they'll do anything for you. That's why they call you _**Boss**_ , because that's what you are to them. But I know what you really are"

Tails stiffens up

"You're selfish. You only do things that benefit you, Miles. I bet you never even loved me like you told me everyday... Again, I was just there to benefit you. Keep you company and make you look good. Never again, you bastard.."

Nina finishes her water and slams the glass cup on the counter as she walks away.

Tails stands in the middle of the Bar Room and sighs

 _Man, what kinda shit have I gotten myself it this time?..._

* * *

Around sunrise, Amy wakes up next to Sonic in her bed, getting weaker as time goes on. She's careful not to wake him up as she pulls the covers off and climbs out of bed.

By the time she comes out of the washroom, Sonic is wide awake.

"I have no clue what's wrong with me, Amy. I can't tell if I'm really here, or... it's confusing"

"I'm going out to find Manic, myself. He might be able to help-"

Just then, the pink hedgehog hears loud knocking at her front door, as if someone is kicking it. Amy runs downstairs and opens the door

"I catch you at a bad time?" Manic asks

He carries Sonia and Espio over his shoulders, while Big the Cat carries Knuckles and Rouge. They walk inside the house and put both couples on Amy's furniture in the living room.

"What happened?!" Amy asks

"Crazy, three way orgy, I assume. Though, the third couple pulled out or something, I'm not entirely sure" Manic responds

Amy turns to Big

"The little green boy pulled them out of a big building on fire"

"Yeah, and I had to give them all mouth-to-mouth because of the smoke inhalation... and I mean _**all**_ of them. God, Knux has some bad Whiskey breath.."

One by one, the four friends start to cough and open their eyes.

"What happened?" Rouge asks

"You guys got wrecked, that's what happened" Manic says

"What? By who?" Sonia asks

"Tails. That traitor. He's working with Starr, Duncan and AJ!"

Knuckles looks up at him "Wait, you know AJ?"

"Yeah, I know that bike-seat sniffer. Him and those other two punks are the reason all this shit happened!" Manic shouts

"..but you said Tails is working with them?" Amy asks

"That no good, yellow belly, pile of monkey crap has gone rogue!..."

Espio looks at him "That wasn't Tails"

"Ah, yeah? Then who was it?"

"Miles. His clone"

Manic laughs sarcastically at this revelation, then notices everyone staring at him

"What, you're serious? Just a sec, let me laugh even harder"

Sonic walks down the stairs "He's not lying, Manic. Dr. Robotnik made clones of me, Tails and Knuckles. Actually, I think I've got three of them, by now"

"That's a little hard to believe, bro" Manic says

Knuckles stands up "I said the same thing until I met these fucked up lab experiments. Trust me, they're real"

Manic looks at the Echidna's left wrist, bent in an awkward position

"The hell's wrong with your arm, why're you holding it like that, Knux?"

"What do ya mean?-"

He lifts his arm to look at it and his broken wrist wiggles around like a wet noodle

"Oh FUCK!"

Everyone starts to panic and scream out in shock as Knuckles freaks out, his hand swinging around like a rag doll.

Amy tries to help him wrap it but he won't stop moving around, while the girls scream as they watch his broken wrist move in ways it shouldn't. Big the Cat faints at the sight of this and Manic pulls out his phone to take a picture.

Espio tip toes past them, enters the kitchen and grabs a beer from the fridge.

Finally, Amy gets Knuckles to sit on the couch and calms him down

"God, this hurts more than I thought it would!..."

"I'm gonna try and call Tails, see where he's at" Sonic says

 **SOUTH SIDE PROJECTS, ARGO VALLEY**

Tails and Nina meet up with King, Lucky and Jamie in the parking lot of a big plaza, home to 4 businesses that are connected in the plaza.

The tall, black suit wearing Hedgehog approaches Tails, carrying a brown leather suitcase.

"Hannah's bakery agreed to our deal, boss. She said we can use her building for 'extra curricular activities', and in return, we split the profits" King says

The fox looks at the bakery, realizing the business is no stranger to crime.

"I, of course, also imposed a protection fee, so Hannah paid up in full, about - 20 minutes ago. Here's your first cut"

The brown hedgehog opens the suitcase and shows Tails the stacks of green inside.

"Hey, what's in that little bag beside the money?" He asks

Lucky, the pot smoking hedgehog, quickly grabs it

"Hehe, sorry boss, forgot to take my gram of weed"

King closes the suitcase and gives it to Tails, but he doesn't feel right about taking this money.

"Just uh... just stash this somewhere safe, man" Tails says, handing the suitcase back

The tall hedgehog nods and jumps in the driver's seat of his car, an older, dark red model that used to be a police cruiser.

Lucky gets in the back seat, while Jamie walks up to Tails with one last piece of information.

"Uh, boss? There's an older fellow in the back unit who wouldn't pay the protection fee unless YOU spoke to him. He says he only deals with the man in charge, so uh... you want us to tag along?"

Tails looks at Nina for a moment

"I think we're good. You guys go enjoy that cash, you deserve it" Tails answers

"You sure? This guy seemed kinda screwy. Says he's _old testament_ and he don't take no shit"

Nina steps in between Jamie and Tails "It's fine, you guys go grab some drinks for later. I wanna see if Miles still has his killer edge. We'll catch up later"

"Alright, guys. Give us a call if shit gets heavy, we won't be far" Jamie says

The green hedgehog gets in the passenger seat of King's car and it speeds off toward downtown.

"Come on, big boy. Lets go see what this old guys' problem is" Nina says, taking the lead

"Yeah. Lets do that"

They walk through the back parking lot of this plaza, looking at all the shop owners and their customers inside. They reach Vitali's Autobody Shop, a family owned business that was once run by The Mob in the 70's. These guys are no strangers to illegal activity, and it's likely the reason they want to speak to Miles personally, to see what kind of underboss he is.

Tails enters through a large, open mechanic's bay door and walks past all the workers. They stop what they're doing to get a good look at the Blonde female hedgehog walking with Tails, whistling her way and calling out to her. She spits on the ground and gives them the middle finger, making everyone laugh.

Tails opens the front office door "Hello, Vitali. I'm Miles, you wanted to speak to me?"

A large, heavy set and old Badger puts his newspaper down and looks at the fox and hedgehog who've come into his office.

"Ah, yes. The Underboss returns" Vitali says in his thick, russian-like accent "You are new to this specific business venture, correct?"

Before Tails can come up with another lie, Nina steps in front of him and looks at the old guy

"Lets cut the bullshit and get down to business, Greaseball. You told our associates to fuck themselves, and we're here to clear up any confusion. If it's a fight you want, then bring it. But I have a feeling you're smarter than that. What we're proposing is fair and reasonable, so do we got a deal or what"

The Badger leans back in his office chair and laughs hysterically.

Tails' heart starts beating faster as the tension builds between Nina and Vitali.

"You kids don't have a clue what you're doing, I got that bit" Vitali says ..."But you do have fight in you, so I tell you what-"

The door gets kicked open and a mechanic whacks Tails in the back of the head with a long wrench. He is knocked out instantly and another mechanic drags him out of the office.

Nina dodges the wrench attack and counters with 5 quick punches to the jaw, which knocks her attacker down. She picks up the wrench and smashes Vitali in the side of the face with it, knocking him out of his chair.

"You guys shouldn't have done that" She calls out to the entire shop

A few workers run away from the fight, but most of the other mechanics pick up weapons and walk toward Nina as she enters the Mechanic bay. She sees Tails is being dragged towards a metal press machine, so she runs toward him.

"Kill them!"

Nina uses the wrench to parry the attacks away from her as she runs through the group. She jumps over a lead pipe aimed at her legs, while spinning in mid air and cracking her wrench off three mechanics' heads at the same time.

She ducks under a few punches and whacks the main mechanic in the body, then pushes Tails off the Metal Press Table.

"You guys gonna make it a challenge or what?!" Nina shouts

Loud CLANGS sound out as the blonde hedgehog swings her wrench around the room. After awhile, these workers know she's kicking their asses, so they start to run away.

As the mechanic bay is emptied, Nina leans down next to Tails, pushing the hair out of his face while his eyes open

"What happened?"

Nina smiles "You suck, that's what"

"He surprised me"

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, lets go get that snake Vitali"

Nina helps Tails up and they walk back into the front office.

"...was there something you wanted to give us, old man"

The old Badger slowly stands up, grasping his face as blood drips down. He opens a lock box and counts $1000

Nina takes the cash "Thank you. Next time, lets keep it civil or else you won't get back up"

Tails smiles and he leaves with Nina.

 _You know, I think I am going to like being The Underboss._

Back at Amy's house, Sonic puts his phone down and sighs

"Just called him 20 times and no answer..."

Manic passes a beer to Knuckles and Sonia, then opens his own

"He's probably busy, and/or hates you all for dis-owning him so quickly. And to think, I was supposed to be the biggest asshole. Oh well. Cheers"

The green hedgehog leaves the house and everyone stays quiet.

"...Maybe we were a little hard on him the other night..." Amy says

Sonic sits down "Well, if he did move on, I hope he's alright"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

 _"The Dark Trip Home"_

The next afternoon, the green hedgehog Jamie puts a red velvet envelope on Tails' desk and waits as he opens it

"What is this?"

Jamie takes a seat next to Lucky

"Don't know, but a foot soldier from The Destructix dropper it off personally. Might be serious"

The fox opens the envelope and takes a moment to read it quietly

 _ **Miles,**_

 _ **I was glad to hear you made it out of prison in one piece, but it's come to my, as well as my Warlord's attention, that you've muscled Vitali into paying your crew a protection fee.**_

 _ **While you did your time on Prison Island, my boss Ms. Bloodmoon took control of The Destructix and we've expanded our operations to Argo Valley.**_

 _ **All of Argo Valley.**_

 _ **So, it's dis-heartening to hear you've made a move on our turf.**_

 _ **So I will only say this once.**_

 _ **Return the money to us and we will forgive this minor mistake.**_

 _ **There's no need for this to get sour. **_

_**Best Regards,**_

 _ **Simian**_

Tails puts the letter down and looks at his friends

"Who is this Simian guy?"

"Destructix Lieutenant. He's the muscle of their crew" King says

"And them, what kind of numbers are we talking?"

"Full strength - looking at 150, probably more waiting on-call" Lucky answers "Maybe even 200"

"...that's a lot more than 5" Tails sighs

"What do you wanna do, boss?"

"I'm not getting strong-armed by anyone, not anymore... can you get us some back up? Anyone who'll go against Bloodmoon?"

Nina smiles as she enters the room

"I was hoping you'd ask. I know some fellas from out of town who hate that bitch Bloodmoon. I can have them down here in an hour"

Jamie stands up next

"A few MMA guys from Murdock's Gym owe me a few favors, I'll get them here, too"

"Good. We're gonna need as many allies as we can get"

The giant hedgehog King, Jamie and their stoner friend Lucky get ready to move, while Nina dials a number into her phone and goes into the next room.

Tails' heart begins beating fast, knowing this won't end well. But it's something he's starting to accept as an everyday thing.

"Alright, boss - I'll take the boys to meet our backup and we'll come back here" King says

The fox nods at him and the trio head out into the city.

Nina comes back to the office and grabs her coat

"You gonna be alright?" Tails asks

"You know I'll be fine, Miles. I took care of both of us yesterday, I think I can handle a few redneck assholes"

The blonde hedgehog walks up to Tails and quickly kisses him on the cheek as she heads for the door

"It's cute that you care, though... I'm starting to like this sensitive side of you"

The fox stands at his desk completely speechless

"Why don't you dig out the gear you bought a few years back" Nina calls out from the hallway

"Uh.. right, the gear - it's in the uh-"

"The Black Locker, dummy. In the storage closet"

Tails walks into a long hallway, opens a wide door and spots the Locker He notices it's not locked, so he opens the door and gasps at what he finds inside

"Yep, that's what $10 million buys you"

Tails pulls out assault rifles, Automatic Shotguns, Pistols and dozens of Ammunition boxes.

"Get them loaded up, I'll be back soon with some boys from The Range" Nina says as she leaves the Clubhouse

* * *

Manic walks back to Amy's house with a backpack full of Alcohol and Take-out boxes from the local sandwich shop. He puts the bag down on a table and sits next to his brother, still weak from his 'condition'

"Feelin' any better?" Manic asks, while offering a beer

Sonic declines the drink with a dismissive wave "Nope, I feel like my stomach is about to explode.. anything on Tails?"

"Well, I could track him down anytime but me and him are on uh... we ain't speaking right now. I kind of stole his girlfriend, beat him up and almost got him killed"

Knuckles walks downstairs

"Really? I heard he beat you"

"How'd you know? I mean - Okay, well he got lucky, alright? I could beat him any day"

As the echidna begins speaking, Manic's Medallion Necklace starts glowing Jade Green. He stops for a moment, hearing familiar voices in the distance.

Then he hears machine guns being loaded with ammo.

"Shut the hell up for a second, Knux, I hear something bad.."

Manic stands up and walks to the front window, pushing the Lace Curtains back so he can see outside.

"GET DOWN!"

He grabs his brother and drops to the floor, and Knuckles dives for cover as Bullets rain in from the front lawn.

Amy starts screaming from the back room, so Sonic crawls back to protect her, while Manic crawls towards the front door.

He looks outside and sees E-123 Omega firing two Mini Guns at the house

"Knuckles, there's a great big Robot holding Gatling Guns out there!"

The echidna gets a look at the machine from his vantage point

"Shit! They're controlling Omega!"

"Wait, that thing has a name? Do you know that Robot?"

"He used to run around with Rouge and Shadow back in the old days. Robotnik got his hands on him and no one's heard from Omega since"

"Who the fuck is Shadow?" Manic asks

"Not important, right now. We gotta get out there and shut him down"

"Can you even move that left arm?"

Knuckles wraps his broken wrist with a blue rag and ties it as tight as he can

"I'll manage. Now, come on!"

"Wait-"

Manic hears the voices of Starr, Duncan and AJ close behind Omega

"Our friends are with that machine outside"

"AJ and those punk kids?"

"Yep. It's gonna be tough gettin' to the power switch with those little shits running around"

"Alright, lets just uh - screw it, lets just go for it"

The guys jump to their feet and race for the front door, when suddenly it's kicked off it's hinges and smashed down.

The evil fox Miles stands in the doorway ready to fight

"Bring me that little punk Miles Prower"

"Manic, That's him. Miles" Knuckles says

Manic looks at him for a moment

"TAILS! BRING HIM TO ME, NOW!"

"Holy shit, man" Manic jumps backwards at this outburst "...Knux, what do ya think?"

"You know where to find him?" The echidna asks

"Well, yeah but we're not exactly-"

"Then go. Bring him back. I'll keep our guests company..."

Manic tries to argue but senses the severity of the situation, so he grasps his Jade Medallion and races out the door.

Knuckles stands across from Miles quietly

"So... are you paying my hospital bills or is that coming out of my end, as well?"

The evil fox says nothing and glares at Knuckles

"Okay then, you awkward prick..."

Manic jumps on the nearest set of train tracks and grinds on the rails all the way out of town. His Medallion's Energy gives him the ability to move at Super Sonic speed down the track.

He pulls out his cellphone, dials Tails' number and waits for him to pick up

Tails is loading ammo into a shotgun when his phone starts vibrating, so he picks it up to answer

"Hello?"

Manic immediately hangs up and uses GPS tracking to find Tails' exact location.

"Argo Valley, that's pretty far from here..."

The green hedgehog races down the tracks and through the country side on his way to find the fox.

Oncoming trains sound out their horn, prompting Manic to jump to other tracks so he doesn't get hit by the locomotives. As he passes through other train stations in various small towns, he waves to the locals as they stare at the Green Blur grinding on the rails.

It takes him 45 minutes to reach Argo Valley. He jumps off the train tracks and races through the streets on his way to Tails' Clubhouse.

"Alright, T, where are you?" Manic says to himself

In the time it took Manic to travel to town, Tails received a troublesome text from his friend Nina

He picks up his phone to call her back

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asks

"..they found us, Miles.."

Tails stiffens up

"Where are you?"

Nina's phone is taken away and she is heard arguing with others in the background, then she's knocked to the ground.

Then a gangster with a deep voice speaks to Tails next

"How come I just knew you wanted to mess with me, huh? I knew it, Miles"

Tails hesitates to answer

" _Simian_ , right?"

The gangster laughs in his deep voice methodically

"Let my friends go" Tails says

"That's a no-go, pal. Ms. Bloodmoon has given me the green light to beat all their heads in tonight. My boys are really looking forward to it" Simian responds

Tails thinks for a moment

"...I'll bring you the cash and all my weapons if you release them"

Simian laughs "You think this is a flea market? You can't just buy is off with guns and $3000. No deal"

"Fine. Trade them for me. They weren't the ones who made a move on Vitali. I did"

The gangster thinks about this for a moment

"...alright, Miles. It's been awhile since we've had fun with someone like you"

Tails sighs "Where and when for this thing?"

"Meet me at The Steel Mill in an hour"

Tails hangs up and bangs his fists off his desk. He starts packing up his weapons, bagging up the cash and pours some Whiskey into a glass

 _God damnit..._

He takes a big drink then thinks about a way he could beat the odds.

Just then Manic pushes open the doors to the Clubhouse and enters

"Tails! Hey, come on, we gotta go!"

The fox falls out of his chair upon seeing of the green hedgehog standing in front of him

"Shit! Manic?! What are you doing here?"

"The real question is - What the hell are YOU doing here? A gang clubhouse, got a stack of guns and cash all around you, what's that about?" Manic asks

"...it's a long story, but I don't have time to tell you. My friends are in trouble" Tails says as he gets back to his feet

"You're damn right, they are. Some asshole named Miles is at Amy's house and he ain't in a good mood"

Tails stops in his tracks once he hears that name. He has a feeling he knows who Manic is talking about, but wants to be sure

"This Miles, does he look like me?"

"Sonic told me he's your evil clone or something, I don't know. He's one of the meanest sons 'o bitches I've ever met" Manic answers

"Aw, shit..."

"What?"

"...I've sorta been pretending I'm him for the past week. That's why I'm here"

"Wait - this guys' a gangster, too? And he owns a clubhouse?"

"I guess so. I met his friends and they think I'm him! ..and since you got everyone to hate me back home, I said screw it and decided to stay here. I didn't have anything else to go back to, so - I'm an Underboss now"

Manic leans against the desk "T, that's one of the most delusional, socially ambiguous thing I've ever heard"

"Do you even know what that word means?"

"Yeah. It means fuck you, we're going home!"

The green hedgehog reaches for Tails' arm but he jumps backwards to avoid him

"I can't leave now!" Trails shouts

"I know you wanna be this cool, rich gangster, but this fantasy is over. Your REAL friends are in danger, right now, so let's get going-"

"These guys down here are my friends, too! And they're in far more trouble than anyone is back home. Besides, I thought they never wanted me to come back, anyway. I'm not going anywhere with you!"

Manic raises an eyebrow "You're not going anywhere with me?"

"Yeah. Fuck you and your goofy lookin' black vest!"

The green hedgehog pauses for a second, then runs across the room towards Tails. The fox tries to hide behind his desk but the green hedgehog jumps up and drop kicks him into the wall. Tails bangs his head against the Concrete wall and is stunned, so Manic carries him over his shoulder and races out of the clubhouse.

Tails mutters quietly at Manic "...you bastard..."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a son of a bitch. Trust me, this is more important"

"..but..Nina..."

The green hedgehog jumps on the same set of train tracks he used to get into town and he heads back towards Green Hill.

Back at Amy's house, Starr, Duncan and AJ enter and begin trashing it as they wait for Manic and Tails to come back. The female hedgehog senses Sonic's presence upstairs so she heads up there to speak to him.

"Who's there?!" Amy shouts

Starr pushes open the bedroom door and looks at Sonic laying in pain on the bed, and Amy watching over him

"Sonic the Hedgehog. Wow. I never thought I'd ever meet you"

"You got 3 seconds to turn around and get out of my house!" Amy warns, picking up her Warhammer

Starr uses her Orchid Energy to push Amy out of the room and down the hall, then slams the bedroom door shut.

"You look weak" The teenager says "Are you dying?"

Sonic struggles to sit up "...I think so. What do you and your friends want?"

"..after you were declared dead, your friends stirred up some trouble all around Mobius. Made a lot of folks angry. Turns out, we're the only ones who'll actually do something about it. So we're here to kill Knuckles, Tails and Manic" Starr says with a grin

"Well, that won't be easy, kid. You're gonna need an army to do that" Sonic responds

The teenage hedgehog conjures some Energy from her fingertips, making the whole bedroom glow Orchid Ourple. She lightly taps Sonic's forehead to show him her powers

"This has been an interesting conversation, but I need to get back to my friends. I'll tell them you said hi"

Starr presses her palm against Sonic's forehead and waves goodbye with her other hand.

In an instant, Sonic fades away and disappears into the air.

Downstairs, Duncan loots whatever he can and shouts up to Starr

"Hey! Is he up there?"

"Nope. Just Pinky, now"

"Come on, lets get outta here"

The purple hedgehog leaves Amy's bedroom and joins her friends outside.

Amy races back in her room but Sonic is gone.

On the street, AJ beats Vector and Espio down, so Big the Cat races towards them to help. Duncan smashes the Cat with his crowbar and knocks the Giant down.

"Hey, douchebag! Lets go for round 2!" Charmy Bee shouts

Duncan grins and runs at him. He easily knocks Charmy out with a flying forearm shot to the face.

Rouge and Sonia run outside to help their friends, until Starr cuts them off and blasts them with her Orchid Energy.

"You're not jumping in, this time" Starr says

Back in the house, Knuckles growls at Miles and walks towards him

"I'm sick of waiting for those idiots to come back. So me and you are gonna finish this shit!"

The echidna throws a right hook at Miles, but the evil fox dodges it, backhand slaps him across the face and kicks him in the gut, knocking Knuckles off his feet and flying into a bookshelf.

"E-123, come here" Miles orders

Omega makes his way into the house and locks onto Knuckles as he crawls on the floor

"Do this poor sap a favor and put a couple bullets in him"

Miles leaves the house and walks into the street, while Omega aims the Mini Gun's at Knuckles. He spits blood in the robot's direction and stares into Omega's Red eyes

Suddenly, Rouge flies into the house and stands in front of the massive machine

"Omega, STOP!" She shouts

The death machine lowers his guns as Rouge walks closer

"Omega, It's me! Rouge!"

A few electronic beeps sound out, but he doesn't answer

"We're your friends!"

-I KNOW YOU-

"Then put the guns away, help us!"

-I CANNOT-

"What? Why?"

-I CANNOT BETRAY MY CONTROLLER-

"But, you have to! He's gonna kill everyone!"

-I CANNOT. YOU HAVE TO TAKE ME OFFLINE-

"What are you talking about?"

-MY CPU CHIP. REMOVE IT FROM THE MOTHERBOARD AND DESTROY IT-

"...but you'll die, won't you?"

-PERMANENT SHUT DOWN. IT IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN BE STOPPED-

Rouge looks at the machine, pondering this request

"Ah, shit!... Alright.. I'll do it"

The Bat climbs up to a console door, opens it and finds Omega's CPU chip.

She removes it and the machine powers down. She watches his red eyes slowly flicker, then fade to the blue screen of death.

Knuckles gets to his feet and pushes Omega out the door and facing the street

"Don't want those Mini Guns pointing at us, in case he somehow comes back to life..." Knuckles says

Just then, Manic and Tails show up to the neighbourhood.

Duncan, Starr and AJ glare at them, but Miles orders them back as he walks towards the duo.

"You wanted me here, well I'm here!" Tails shouts

" _Prower..._ "

Manic looks around and awkwardly says "..and I'm here, as well!.. you prick!"

"I just wanted him, but I think I'll take you both" Miles says

"You hear this guy? He wants a 2-on-1. Alright"

Manic and Tails slowly walk towards the evil fox, sizing him up.

Miles fakes a punch, making Manic kick him him in the face. The strike does nothing to Miles, so Tails ducks down and back spin-kicks him in the body, while Manic uses his Jade Medallion's Energy to smash the clone in the head.

The attack knocks Miles to the ground and he grasps his head

"That was easy"

"I'd say. Man, that was a cheap final boss battle-"

Knuckles points to Miles

"No, you idiots, look out!"

By the time they look at their enemy, Miles jumps to his feet and rushes Manic into a wall. He throws lightning-fast punches at the green hedgehog until he knocks him out.

Tails rips Miles off of Manic and they grapple in the street.

Knuckles and Sonia make their way over to the two foxes, so Miles calls out to his lackies

"Keep them back!" He orders

Starr tackles Sonia onto someone's front lawn, while AJ brawls with Knuckles. Espio grabs Duncan and kicks him in the head.

"Come on, Tails! Kick his ass!"

Miles smirks at this, then throws a viscous combination of punches to Tails, and the teenage fox goes down from the final power hook.

Tails is knocked down to the street and groans in pain.

"You really think Tails stands a chance against me? HA!" Miles taunts

The evil fox pulls out a thin wire from his jacket and swings it towards his enemy. The wire wraps around Tails' throat tightly and Miles pulls him close.

He stands back-to-back with Tails and begins hanging him

"Shit! He's killing him!" Charmy shouts

Knuckles tries to help his friend, but AJ and Duncan wrestle him to the ground and hold him down, forcing the echidna to watch as Tails chokes for air

"Bet you didn't think you'd die here, huh, Prower"

Tails fights for his life but his clone to too much for him to handle.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

 _The Dual-City Showdown_

As Tails struggles to breathe, his evil clone Miles tightens his grip on the wire around his enemy's throat. He looks back at Tails and taunts him in his final moments

"...I was created to mimic you. I didn't ask for that, but there I was lying on a table, gettin' destroyed and re-built day after day. And YOU were the cause of my suffering in that fat bastard's laboratory. So, I vowed to kill him and you for making me go through that pain. I'll be stopping by Eggman's jail cell after I'm finished here!"

Tails chokes for air as he listens to Miles' words

"...by the way - I heard about you and Nina... she never could resist me. I had that chick wrapped around my finger, and now you get the sloppy seconds. That's hilariously pathetic, Prower"

Amy Rose runs out of her house and throws her War Hammer at Miles. The force of the blow knocks him backward and flat on his back, releasing the wire around Tails' throat. He falls to his knees and gasps as he breathes in fresh air.

Amy turns to Starr "My boyfriend came back and you killed him, you bitch!"

"I wouldn't say it was all me..." Starr responds

Amy shouts angrily, picks up her Hammer and races towards the teenager, forcing AJ and Duncan to move in the way to stop her.

Knuckles gets free from the teenage Echidna's grip and begins to punch him around, also allowing Espio to get back to his feet and brawl with Duncan.

Amy swings the hammer but Starr's telekinesis powers stop her just before she connects with the attack

Sonia gets to her feet and tackles Starr to the ground, while Amy holds her hands down so she can't use her energy

Everyone is busy fighting the Enhanced Trio, so they don't realize Miles has gotten back to his feet and grabbed ahold of Tails once more

"You always seem to get lucky, don't you?!" The clone shouts

Miles clinches up his fist and brings it up for a powerful strike

Until Manic catches it in his hand and looks him in the eyes

"The only thing he's lucky to have are friends like us"

The green hedgehog pulls Miles away from Tails and front kicks the clone in the body. Miles tries to fight back, but Vector throws a left hook punch to the chin that knocks him backwards.

Rouge kicks him in the face as she flies by, then Big the Cat throws a cinder block at Miles that smashes against his face.

As the clone drops to one knee, Charmy Bee jumps on his back and punches the back of his head a dozen times, then Espio throws 3 Morning Stars at the clone, getting stuck in his chest and right forearm.

Miles quickly rips the blades out "Son of a bitch! I'll kill you ALL!"

Knuckles reaches over and hits Miles with a Superman Punch, giving Tails a chance to run up and drop kick his clone into the middle of the street. Chunks of skin are peeled off as he recieves road rash from sliding across the concrete.

As battered and beaten as he is, Miles slowly gets back to his feet and glares at everyone

"You're gonna have to kill me, because I won't stop comin' until you are all dead-"

A loud crackle pierces the sky as a Sniper Rile is fired. The bullet rips through Miles' forehead and he goes down for the last time.

Tails looks up towards a water tower and barely makes out the silhouette of Shadow the Hedgehog hanging off the railing. He nods at the fox and takes off into the streets once again.

"Whoa - what the fuck was that?!" Manic calls out in confusion

Tails, Knuckles and Amy join him as they stand over Miles' body in the street

"That was the end of him"

Police Cruisers and trucks begin to surround the area, while Vector, Espio and Charmy place The Enchanced Trio under arrest.

"Everyone alright?" The Crocodile asks

Everyone either says yes or nods at Vector

"Good. You guys better get outta here. I'll speak with the boys in blue about this whole situation" Vector says

Knuckles nods at him and he takes everyone out of the neighbourhood while the cops set up a perimeter around the crime scene.

As the four friends walk down a back street, Tails remembers his friends in Argo Valley are still in trouble

"Guys, I can't stay. I'll see you around"

Amy grabs his arm "What are you talking about? You nearly died back there!"

"Amy, I made a promise to some of my other friends in another city, and I have to keep it. If I don't, things could end up much worse for them"

The pink hedgehog quickly hugs the fox

"You be careful out there, Tails. And come back soon, alright?"

"I'm real sorry about what happened to Sonic"

"...yeah. So am I"

Tails takes off walking toward the nearest train station, only to have Manic catch up to him.

"What, you're following me, now?" Tails asks

"I know you're still pissed at me for what I did. I wanna make it up to you, bro. Let me help you out" Manic says

Tails looks at the green hedgehog for a moment, then they continue walking

"...Your sister said something about you being good at disappearing for years on end"

"Yeah, what about it?" Manic asks

Tails looks at him "Miles Prower needs to disappear for awhile"

"What're you talking about? I don't get it"

"Just - trust me, I'll explain on the way back into town"

 **XAIVER'S STEEL MILL, SOUTH EAST ARGO VALLEY**

 _30 Minutes Later_

Nina, Jamie, Lucky and King have their arms chained to a metal crane 15 feet above their heads. They stand back-to-back, with Nina being the only one facing the front gates of the steel mill. The cold wind causes all four friends to shiver as they wait for 'Miles' to show up for the exchange.

"He's not coming, is he?" Jamie asks, lips quivering from the freezing cold temperature outside

"The boss will come for us, don't worry" King says "Stay strong, don't give these fuckers the satisfaction of breaking us down!..."

Simian, the ruthless lieutenant of The Destructix, walks along a steel platform and drags a water hose with him. He walks to the edge and sprays King with ice cold water, adding to the torture he's already suffering through

"Yeah, listen to your big friend, guys. He's tough. _Real_ tough" Simian mocks

King spits water out and groans loudly as his entire body freezes. Simian sprays Lucky and Jamie as well, seemingly just to hear them cry out in pain.

Nina grasps their hands to try and keep them warm, while doubting their friend will show up.

"I'm not sure we're making it out of this one. So I want you to know I love you all like my brothers. And I wouldn't give you up for anything in this world. Okay? I love you guys" Nina says

The friends shake off the pain and take turns saying their final goodbyes, when finally Tails arrives to the Steel Mill.

"...H-he's here" Nina shivers

She notices he's wearing a large black winter jacket, Black grip gloves, a ski mask, thick matching pants and steel toed boots. Simian's guards check him for any weapons and send him into the scrap yard

"Alright, I'm here! Let them go!" Tails shouts

Simian stands on the platform high above the ground and stares at the fox

"You certainly like cutting it close, Miles! One more minute and I would've had to watch these losers freeze to death" The Warthog says "...you bring the money?"

Tails takes a giant brown bag out from his jacket and throws it to a gang member. He checks it and gives a thumbs up to Simian

"...Boys! Release 'em!"

Two Destructix members unlock the padlocked chains around Tails' friends' hands and they each fall to the ground. Tails runs over to help them up but Simian points a gun at him, forcing the fox to stop

Nina helps Jamie to his feet and Lucky does the same for King, then they begin to walk out of the scrap yard

"What took you so long?!" Nina practically screams

"..I had to make a deal, first" Tails replies "I'm sorry"

"What deal?"

"There's a cab waiting for you guys around the corner, the driver's already been paid. I left some money in a bag in the backseat, too. Get outta town, far away from these guys"

"What about you?" Jamie asks

Tails sighs "You're probably never gonna see me again"

King stops "But, Boss-"

"Just go. I'll be fine. You take care of yourselves, and take care of each other. Hang in there. You guys will make it"

Hesitantly, the four friends leave their former boss behind and head towards the taxi around the corner. Tails makes sure they are gone before going anywhere with Sargent Simian

Tails turns to face the Giant Warthog

"So?"

"So, you will be coming with us-"

A flash of Neon Green torches the entire Steel Mill, causing machines to explode all around them. Gang members run away and cry out in terror as the flames grow higher.

Nina looks out the back window of the taxi and gasps at the carnage

"What the hell?" She says

"Man...he planned this from the beginning, didn't he?" Lucky suggests

"Looks that way...he never planned on leaving there alive.." Jamie responds

King leans back in his seat "Genius...I'm gonna miss that guy"

The taxi escapes the area just before local fire and rescue show up and police close off the scene.

Simian pushes some debris off of him and gets to his feet. A few Destructix members join him as they dig for Miles.

"Boss! Over here!" A thug calls out

The Giant Warthog pushes past the crew and looks down at Tails' burnt jacket sleeve

"He alive?"

"No. He had to have been incinerated in the blast"

Simian growls quietly before answering

"Smart son of a bitch knew dying was his only way out... let's get back to HQ before the pigs get here"

Simian leads his crew out of the area and into the back streets.

Meanwhile, just outside the gates, Tails hides in the shadows and waits for them to leave. The ski mask is pulled over his face and his clothing is smoking from taking the heat of the explosions.

He pulls out his phone and calls Manic

"Success. I'm heading back to you"

"Copy that. Our ride is just about here"

The fox pulls the jacket collar up, puts his hands in his pockets and escapes into the back streets. Police and the fire department show up shortly after and find no trace of him.

He jumps inside a Train Car and sits down next to Manic

"Today has been one of the most fucked up days I've ever had, man" Tails says

"Fighting your clone, to faking your death. Yeah, that's pretty intense. All of that in a span of 3 hours...That's gotta be some kinda record" Manic jokes

"...I'm just glad I saved them, Manic. I would've felt like shit if they died thinking I abandoned them"

"Sounds like they really grew on you"

"..even though they were really Miles' friends and I never actually met them in my life before all of this, I got to know them really well. They're good kids, all they have are each other, now"

"You know, I could always track them down for ya"

"Nah...Miles was never a real friend to them, and now they believe he's dead-"

"Well, we watched the sick bastard die, so that part is true"

"You're right... Anyway, they don't need him dragging them down. Now they're free"

"Yeah..." Manic pulls out his phone "So, you still don't remember me? Or anything we did last year?"

"Honestly, no, I don't. I'm sorry. My memory is a blur, right now..But I won't forget what you did for me, tonight"

Manic grins and fist bumps Tails

"So, are we heading back to Amy's?"

"Yeah, I promised everyone I'd say something nice before I head out. I don't think your girl Cream is gonna be there, though"

"Ah, she hates me. But that's better than what could've end up happening. Anyway, Lets just get back to Green Hill and say goodbye to everyone"

Tails lays back on his backpack, while Manic looks out of the train car window as it passes a sign that reads _Thank You For Visiting Argo Valley_.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

 _The Future_

 **LATER THAT NIGHT**

While Police start to clear out of the neighbourhood, Vector holds Starr, Duncan and AJ in custody, seated inside a SWAT Truck with heavily armed officers pointing their modified weapons at them at all times.

The crocodile approaches the back door, slides open a small window and looks inside at the Enhanced teenagers responsible for all the damage.

"You know, you kids are in for at least 15 years behind bars, right?" Vector asks in a dull manor

AJ remains calm, but Starr and Duncan shows signs of concern

"...but it don't have to be that way"

"You're giving us a way out?" Duncan asks

"Got your attention, now, huh"

Starr stands up but the SWAT cops order her to sit back down

"Tell us what we gotta do!" She pleads

Vector opens a file folder and presses a photo of a criminal against the caged window

"This is **Sleuth Dogg**. Gun for hire with absolutely no restrictions. Plenty of men and their _families_ , have felt his wrath... I wouldn't ever offer ordinary teenagers this chance, but you three aren't ordinary. And we're gonna need your kind of help. So we'll cut you a deal if you help us catch this son of a bitch"

Starr and Duncan nod their heads in approval, but the massive teenage echidna AJ crosses his arms and exhales in disgust

"You don't look as confident as your friends here do. What's on your mind?"

"I don't help cops. These sell outs might do it, but I ain't no informant" AJ states "So you can go fuck yourself and take me to jail"

Vector ponders this for a moment, then he turns his back to grab a second file folder

"I had a feelin' you would say that. That's why I showed you Dogg's picture first"

"What, he's not the only guy we gotta track down?" Duncan asks

"Nope. You two might not know who this guy is, but your friend AJ most definitely knows him.."

The echidna leans over to see what picture Vector shows next.

"This is **Angel**. Leader of some Devil worshipping goth outfit he calls Angel's Flock. They're the ones responsible for AJ's abduction and subsequent torture, until Knuckles stepped in and saved his ass-"

AJ bangs against the caged window "He led those freaks to me! I owe him NOTHING!"

"Relax, I never said you did. Just lettin' you know that we found out where Angel's been hiding. And if you want your jail sentences to be cut in half, you gotta help us catch him. Both of 'em"

Starr tugs at AJ's sleeve "C'mon, we gotta do this. 15 years is a long time to spend in jail!..."

AJ caves in

"Alright. I'll do it"

Vector smiles "Smart choice, kids. You get us Dogg and Angel, and we'll play real nice with the board of Justice. Might even have you out of jail in 5 years or less, depending on how well this goes"

"So, you expect us to track down BOTH of these pieces of shit?" Duncan asks "We're just teenagers, man! None of these strong, manly SWAT cops can help us out there?"

Vector steps away from the caged window

"I don't expect you drop outs to do this alone, you crazy? No... I expect HIM to lead you dipshits in the chase"

Before the Enhanced trio can ask, Knuckles the Echidna appears at the window with a smirk on his face

"Looks like you idiots are working for me, now" He chuckles

"Are you kidding?"

"That's just great!"

"Ah, fuck..."

"See you punks out there!" Knuckles calls out as he shuts the sliding window

"And uh - where exactly are we going?" Duncan asks, voice muffled behind the steel door

"Vace Beach, Silver Valley. We'll pack you some sun screen"

Knuckles bangs against the SWAT truck twice and it takes off to the precinct downtown. He joins Vector at his car and both lean against the side door

"You know it's gonna be hell catching this son of bitch, again. And Dogg told me he wants to put a slug in you, personally" Vector warns

"I'm not finished with Angel, plus now, you're telling me Dogg is alive and he wants me dead. Boy, I'd be a coward if I didn't come along with you guys" Knuckles replies, while looking around "Where's Espio?"

Vector points over across the street "Rouge wanted to say goodbye to him"

He and Knuckles watch as Espio talks to the Bat, but can't quite hear what he's saying. Rouge puts her finger over his lips to stop the conversation, then quickly kisses him and leaves the group with a friendly wave. Vector and Knuckles wave back, while Espio smiles and walks back to his friends.

"Well, well, check that shit out. Espio, my man" Vector says

"Yeah, yeah" He laughs

"Bro, you should check yourself for any cold sores, tonight. Word is, she's been around with a lot of dudes, so..." Knuckles says as he shrugs his shoulders

Espio stops "I - I wanna believe that you're joking, but-"

Knuckles shakes his head, then Espio looks to Vector, who also does the same

"Don't worry pal. Just buy yourself some lip balm"

"That ain't funny, man"

Knuckles lightly slaps Espio's shoulder and Vector joins him in laughter as the Chameleon jumps in the back seat.

"So, Knux...what about your girl?" Vector asks

"Ah, me and Julie broke up last week. She decided to stay at the house on Angel Island, so I don't gotta worry about her"

"Well, actually I was talking about your other girl. Sonia"

Knuckles looks over as The Pink Hedgrhog motions for him to come over. He approaches her and scratches the back of his head

"Hey, uh-"

"I know things didn't end well between us last time, Knuckles.. I just wanted to say thanks for being a friend to me, Manic and Sonic. You're a really great guy" Sonia says

"Yeah, no problem"

Sonia hugs the muscular echidna tightly and he hugs back with his good arm.

Just then, Manic and Tails finally get back to the neighbourhood and join them

"Hey, Where's Amy?" Manic asks

"Inside. I was just about to say goodbye to her. You guys coming in?"

Manic and Knuckles lead the way, while Tails awkwardly looks at Sonia

"...so, uh- sorry about fighting with Manic and all. We had a bit of a disagreement"

Sonia smiles and jumps in the back seat of her limousine

"It's all worked out now, Mr. Prower. No need to worry. And I'm glad I didn't have to kick your ass for getting my little brother kidnaped. You're alright, kid" Sonia says with a smile

Tails opens his mouth to say something, but he just waves back as he walks inside Amy's house.

The inside is almost completely destroyed from the battle against Miles, so Amy sits on a wooden chair in her kitchen and stares at a photo of her with Sonic on her phone

"..He was right here. I held him close and wouldn't let go, but he disappeared, anyway..."

Knuckles, Manic and Tails join her in the kitchen and listen to her

"...He was in pain. He didn't know what was wrong. He was scared...and I couldn't do a damn thing for him"

Manic lightly grasps her hands and sits next to her.

"You know, this means he's still out there. He's alive. We just gotta go find him, Ames. And we will. In time"

Knuckles looks out across the street and sees Vector pointing at his watch

"I wish I could stay to help, but I have some important obligations to take care of. I'll catch up, though. Need me, just give me a call"

Knuckles and Amy embrace for the last time, then Manic wraps his arms around both to make it a group hug until Knuckles shoves him off and onto the ground

"The fuck away me with that shit" Knuckles says

"Ah, you know you love me, big guy!... you'll come to, eventually" Manic grins

"I'm pretty sure I won't, punk ass"

Knuckles fist bumps Tails on the way out and closes what's left of the front door behind him.

"Hey, soldier boy" Sonia calls out

Knuckles looks over to her limousine

"Where ya heading? I can give you a ride"

"I'm going out to Vace Beach" He says

"What a coincidence, I was actually thinking of going to my apartment down there! Hop in"

"You live down there? That IS a hell of a coincidence-"

"Well, no, I don't live in Vace Beach.. I have 2 apartments there, another in Metropolis, a couple on the east coast-"

Knuckles opens the back door "Okay, I get it, you're a lot richer than me"

He looks at Vector across the street "I'm catching a ride with Sonia, I'll meet you guys down there!"

The Crocodile gives a thumbs up and jumps inside his car.

Back inside, Manic's cellphone starts ringing so he goes upstairs to answer it. Tails sits next to Amy and gives her a set of keys

"Those are for the old three storey house me, Sonic and Knuckles built. Everything is stocked up and still in perfect condition. You can stay there while we send a crew to rebuild this place, Amy"

She smiles "Thank you Tails"

Manic comes downstairs and grabs his leather jacket from the closet

"I gotta jet, a business partner of mine just told me one of those Medallions I lost has just been spotted in Casino Night Zone" He says while putting his jacket on "..and some asshole is using it's abilities on the town folk"

"Mind if I tag along?" Tails asks

"Uhh... it's gonna be crazy out there, bro. Like, superhero and super villain type shit. I don't think you should, man-"

"Dude, I ran a street gang for like, a week! I can handle it" Tails says

Amy turns to him "You what?"

"Uh, I mean I played Grand Theft Auto enough times to know how to handle stuff like this! Yeah, that's it"

"Alright, if you wanna come along, be my guest"

"I think I will. It was great seeing you Amy, give me a call if you need anything-"

Tails quickly hugs the pink hedgehog and heads towards the door

"Bye, guys"

Manic closes the door and looks at the fox

"Hey, you still have that SAGE program?"

Tails pulls it out "Yeah, I do, wait- how'd you know I have this?!"

"How many times do I have to tell ya, I was there when you got that!... man, this whole 'deletion' thing is gettin' real old"

"You gotta get me caught up on the ride there, Manic. I'm so confused"

"Well, it's a good thing we're in for a long ride because this is a two-part story, bro"

10 minutes after everyone is gone, Amy packs her bags and locks the front door. As she puts the key in, a bright flash of Blue shines behind her, illuminating the entire neighbourhood.

Thinking it may be Sonic, Amy drops everything and turns around to find

Silver The Hedgehog standing before her

"Hello, there Amy Rose. I got the distress call. Where is he?"

Amy, slightly disappointed, sighs and picks up her bags once more

"Sonic is already gone. Maybe even dead. Who knows..."

Silver raises an eye brow

"He's not dead. He's stuck in The Nexus"

The pink hedgehog looks up "The What?!"

"The Nexus. It's the wasteland in between realms, I thought you knew this?"

"You know how to get there?!"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then take me! I need to save Sonic!"

"Wait just a second! Where are your friends?"

Amy unlocks the front door and puts her bags back inside

"They're off on important missions, or something. It's just me, Silver"

"Well, I gotta tell ya, if you're planning on going there, you're gonna need help"

Amy picks up her War Hammer and locks her front door

"I only need this. Now please, take me to this place!"

Silver looks around for anyone else but sees nobody in sight

"You know, I came here looking for Shadow, but this seems a million times more interesting. Sure. I'll take you there"

"...wait, you knew where Sonic was this entire time and haven't said anything or tried to rescue him?!" Amy growls

"The Nexus is a place I can't just enter and exit at will! If you go in there, there's a big chance you're not getting out... and I haven't been able to tell you about it because I've been very busy. You have no idea the places I travel to every day"

"...one year, Silver. Sonic's been gone for an entire YEAR, and you couldn't take 5 minutes to stop by and at least tell us he's alive?!"

"Yeah, when you say it like that, it sounds bad!... Okay, I admit, I could've come by, but I honestly thought you guys knew where he was!"

Amy shakes away all negative thoughts and readies herself for the journey. She knows there's a chance she won't be back from this trip for a long time, but to her, Sonic is worth it.

"Lead the way"

 _THE END_

 **HEY EVERYONE! THANKS FOR READING UP TIL THE END! THIS WAS A FUN STORY TO WRITE, I WANTED TO INCLUDE MORE CHARACTERS THIS TIME AND HAVE THEM EACH HAVE AN ARC IN THE STORY.**

 **SHOUTOUT TO EVERYONE WHO READS, REVIEWS AND ENJOYS MY STORIES! THANKS!**

 **PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY UPCOMING STORIES** "Mad Dog Act II" **&** "Tricked"


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